A bill introduced in the Florida state Senate Wednesday would yank state scholarships or tuition aid from college students promoting a foreign terrorist group to "hold them accountable," said state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill.
"We can see this now nationwide. This is happening on colleges and universities across the United States, and in Florida we're seeing it as well. And this is meant to hold them accountable," Ingoglia said Friday during an appearance on Newsmax's "American Agenda."
"This bill basically does two things. One is that if you're caught ... giving material support to Hamas — which means wearing their colors, espousing their slogans, chanting 'From the River to the Sea, the city of Palestine should be free,' which is a Hamas clarion call for the destruction of Israel — then you lose all of your benefits of being a student in part, all of your scholarships, all of your in-state tuition, reduced rates, all your fee waivers."
"But what it also does is it mandates that these universities and colleges notify the Department of Homeland Security if they're on a student visa. So hopefully one day they will just ... get them out of the country," he added.
The House passed a similar bill Wednesday, weeks after Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration took the extraordinary step of ordering state universities to ban a pro-Palestinian student organization from campuses, saying it illegally backs Hamas militants who attacked Israel earlier this month.
As Israel's attacks on Gaza have intensified, some college students have expressed solidarity with Palestinians, resulting in swift censure from some Jewish academics and even some prospective employers. But Florida has gone further, saying Students for Justice in Palestine is supporting a "terrorist organization."
The U.S. State Department designated Hamas a terrorist group in 1997. The European Union and other Western countries also consider it a terrorist organization.
Information from The Associated Press used in this report.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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