Friday, February 18, 2011

Controversy Regarding Star High School Basketball Player's Immigration Status

The foreign nationality of a top-ranked high school basketball player is renewing the debate about immigration as it relates to young athletes.

Brian Delancy, a native from the Bahamas, plays for the top-ranked basketball team of Miami's Michael M. Krop Sr. High. The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) has attempted to disqualify Delancy and retroactively forfeit his team's wins because Krop High School apparently did not register with the FHSAA regarding Delancy's immigration status. Delancy's lawyers have filed a discrimination suit against FHSAA.

Goldfarb also represents two other Krop players. He argues by law, the school cannot ask the students to provide immigration paperwork, therefore a student athletic association should not force a student to provide it either. "It's right there in the Florida constitution: You don't have to show your status in the Florida constitution. You have the right to a good public education."

The F-1 regulations impose numerous burdensome recordkeeping and reimbursement restrictions on public high schools with foreign students. However, those regulations say little about a state athletics association's eligibility for student-athletes' immigration information.