The University of California’s Board of Regents agreed to move forward with a plan Thursday to potentially allow illegal immigrants to be employed across the campus system after activists pushed for the move over concerns it is banned under federal law
The board agreed, after a closed-door meeting, on a measure on “equitable student employment opportunities.” The regents agreed to convene a working group to “determine next steps” to be completed by the end of November.
“The university is committed to ensuring that all students, regardless of their immigration status, can pursue and attain a world-class UC education. This should include providing enriching student employment opportunities to all students,” University of California President Michael V. Drake and Board of Regents Chair Richard Leib said in a statement.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BOARD TO VOTE ON ALLOWING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STUDENTS TO WORK ON CAMPUS
“After an in-depth discussion, consistent with the adopted policy statement, the Board of Regents appointed a Regents working group that, by the end of November of this year, will consider relevant issues and develop an implementation plan and a legal strategy. The working group will determine whether, how and when to implement next steps.”
The move came in response to an intense advocacy campaign from activists and illegal immigrant students. The New York Times reported in October about how a coalition of “undocumented student leaders” and other legal scholars were proposing that the state begin employing students at the 10 campuses across the system.
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The proposal would appear to be in violation of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act.
But the Times reported that a “new legal analysis” drafted at UCLA argues that the law does not apply to states.
Activists told the LA Times it marked a major win for the “immigrant rights movement.”
The move…
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