WASHINGTON, Feb 16: Already facing tighter visa application scrutiny, students from some countries may also be singled out to be declared ineligible for any financial aid, at least if right-wingers in the state of Florida have their way.

A state legislator has moved a bill to ban financial aid to students from countries on the State Department’s list of states designated as sponsors of terrorism. The seven countries on the list are Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Cuba, North Korea and Sudan.

The Florida legislator, Dick Kravitz, describes the countries as being “run by dictators, thugs, thieves, tyrants and communist regimes”.

Students from these states “are here to learn something to take back to their countries to use for terrorism.”