Amid heightened tension in Florida's legislative chambers, a group of high school and college students in Central Florida staged a mock graduation at Apopka's Hope Community Center to protest the state's potential repeal of in-state tuition rates for undocumented immigrants, a policy in the crosshairs of the state's Republican lawmakers. The Florida Legislature, in a special session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis, passed what Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, Republican Daniel Perez, termed "the most conservative, the most aggressive, and the most effective immigration bill in the country," these students, many of them "Dreamers" protected under DACA, took a symbolic stand. According to ClickOrlando, Edith, one participant, proclaimed, "Repealing in-state tuition is a step in the wrong direction," emphasizing the critical juncture at which these students find themselves.

As lawmakers advance an immigration package dubbed the TRUMP (Tackling & Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy) Act, the governor appeared on Fox News expressing dissatisfaction with the bill, despite its alignment with many policies he previously supported, including the repeal as mentioned above, having accused his party of "squishing out" and crafting a "weak bill." Within this legislative scramble, these students, their mouths sealed with tape as a symbol of silenced voices, used their protest to underscore not just the impacts on their educational future but on broader familial and community bonds, as Saul Rosa from the Hope Community Center pointed out in an event highlighted by WFTV, "This bill doesn’t just hurt students. It hurts families, and cycles of poverty crush dreams. Deprives our communities of thoughts and talent."

The battle over the in-state tuition waivers intensifies as Florida ranks fifth nationally with DACA recipients, and the TRUMP Act now heads to DeSantis' desk, who has yet to confirm his support or veto. Silvia Ruiz, one beneficiary of the waiver, emphasized to ClickOrlando the practicality of the policy for adapting to Florida's evolving demographics, "In-state tuition is not an incentive for migration," Ruiz stated, "It is a policy that is adapting to the ever-changing Florida."