In a landmark vote, UC governors said they are moving forward with a plan to hire undocumented students for on-campus jobs.
UC campuses are home to thousands of undocumented students. On Thursday, UC Regents voted to create a working group to review and develop a plan to hire students regardless of their legal status.
“In the face of uncertainty, the only thing that can somehow encourage us to move on is hope,” said Leonardo Rodriguez, a UC Berkeley student.
Rodriguez is a dreamer from UC Berkeley and part of the Opportunity for All campaign that has been fighting for change for months.
Rodriguez and hundreds of others gathered in Los Angeles on Wednesday and he was there for the big announcement on Thursday.
“When you see how such an institution reacts to the work and organization of undocumented students, we are often seen as ‘powerless,’ and today we were anything but powerless,” he said.
In a statement from the President’s Office of UC, officials wrote the following:
“The university is committed to ensuring that all students, regardless of their immigration status, can pursue and achieve a world-class UC education. And that should include providing enriching student employment opportunities for all students.”
However, some claim the controversial policy would open the door to multiple lawsuits, but legal experts behind the effort said the move was perfectly legal.
“The federal law that first banned the federal hiring of undocumented migrants in 1986 doesn’t apply to state institutions like the University of California,” said Astghik Hairapetian of the UCLA Immigration Law Center.
The goal is for the working group to come back in November with a plan for how and when UCs should start hiring undocumented students.
