Immigrants Rising’s Statement on the Opportunity for All Lawsuit
For Immediate Release
Contact: Beleza Chan at beleza@immigrantsrising.org
Los Angeles, (October 3, 2024) — This week, a UCLA alumnus and a university lecturer, represented by attorneys from the law firm of Altshuler Berzon LLP, Organized Power in Numbers, and the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) at the UCLA School of Law, filed a lawsuit against the University of California (UC) alleging discrimination against students seeking campus employment based on their immigration status. Despite being fully enrolled in the UC system, qualifying for state financial aid, and meeting all academic and institutional requirements, these students are barred from campus job opportunities solely due to their immigration status. This policy not only undermines students’ ability to afford their education but also denies them valuable career-building experience and deprives California’s workforce of skilled talent. The outcome of this lawsuit could decisively determine whether UC has the legal authority to hire students regardless of immigration status, potentially reshaping opportunities for thousands of students.
“Over 82,000 undocumented students are enrolled in a California public college or university, many without Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) protections, leaving them ineligible for work authorization. Without campus employment, these students struggle to afford their education, lose out on essential career-building experiences, and, in the long run, are unable to help California’s demand for highly educated workers,” says Beleza Chan, Director of Development & Communications at Immigrants Rising. “Today’s lawsuit is the necessary next step, following the University of California’s rejection in January of a proposal to allow campuses to hire undocumented students, and Governor Newsom’s recent veto of AB 2586 (Alvarez), which would have ensured equal access to campus employment for undocumented students at the University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges.”
Legal scholars have affirmed that state governments, acting as employers, have the authority to determine whom they hire, meaning California’s public higher education institutions can legally employ students regardless of their immigration status. We are hopeful that the court’s ruling in this case will provide the clarity California needs to act equitably and extend campus employment opportunities to all students.
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*Iliana Perez, Executive Director of Immigrants Rising, is a plaintiff in the Umaña Muñoz & Perez v. Regents of the University of California case in her individual capacity, and not as an executive of Immigrants Rising.
