In a groundbreaking vote, UC regents say they are moving forward with a plan to hire undocumented students for on-campus jobs.
The UC campuses are home to thousands of undocumented students. On Thursday, UC regents voted to create a working group that will explore and come up with a plan to hire students regardless of their legal status.
“With uncertainty, the only thing that kind of encourage us to keep going is hope,” said Leonardo Rodriguez, a UC Berkeley student.
Rodriguez is a dreamer from UC Berkeley and a part of the “Opportunity for All” campaign, which has been fighting for the change for months now.
Rodriguez and hundreds more were rallying in Los Angeles Wednesday and on Thursday, he was there for the big announcement.
“To see such an institution respond to the work and the organizing of undocumented students, we are often kind of seen as 'powerless,' and today we were far from powerless,” he said.
In a statement from the UC office of the president, leaders wrote the following:
“The university is committed to ensuring that all students, regardless of their immigration status, can pursue and attain a world-class UC education. And this should include providing enriching student employment opportunities to all students.”
But some claim the controversial policy would open the doors to several lawsuits, yet legal experts behind the effort said the move is completely legal.
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“The federal law, which in 1986 prohibited for the first time the hiring of undocumented people on the federal level, that law does not apply to state entities like the University of California,” said Astghik Hairapetian with the UCLA Immigration Law Center.
The goal is for the working group to come back in November with a plan on how and when UCs should start hiring undocumented students.
