Hundreds of Undocumented Students to Rally to Urge UC to Keep its Promise of Removing Hiring Restrictions for Students
MEDIA ADVISORY for: November 14, 2023
CONTACT
Hayley Burgess, UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy, burgess@law.ucla.edu, 626-497-2341
Silvia Vazquez, UCLA Labor Center and Dream Resource Center, vazsil89@ucla.edu, 424-354-6069
RALLY AND PRESS CONFERENCE 11/14:
Hundreds of Undocumented Students to Rally to Urge UC to Keep its Promise of Removing Hiring Restrictions for Students
Rally to come as University of California nears deadline on releasing implementation plan to allow undocumented students to access paid opportunities on campus
WHAT: On November 14th, the eve of the University of California (UC) Regents’ meeting at UCLA, hundreds of undocumented students and allies from across California will rally to urge UC leadership to follow through on their May 2023 promise to remove hiring restrictions for students who don’t have access to DACA or any other form of immigration status.
Undocumented student leaders at the University of California secured a critical victory in the Opportunity for All campaign in May 2023 as the UC Board of Regents announced their plan to move forward with removing hiring restrictions for all UC students, regardless of immigration status. And this month, the Regents will announce their plan to implement this crucial and historic campaign.
Leading scholars of immigration and constitutional law from around the country have shown the University of California has the power under existing law to provide its undocumented students equal access to educational employment opportunities. The consensus is clear: the UC has the right to employ all students, regardless of immigration status, today.
WHEN: Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 2:30 pm PT; Media – please confirm attendance
WHERE: Tongva Steps at UCLA – Find the Tongva Steps at UCLA on Google maps here. The Tongva Steps at UCLA were formerly known as Janss Steps.
WHO:
- Undocumented student organizers from across UC campuses
-
-
- UCLA: Karely Amaya, Jeffry Umaña Muñoz, and Ana Lara
- UC Irvine: Vanessa Cruz and J.C. Perez
- UC Santa Barbara: Cindy Guzman
- UC Santa Cruz: Juana Alvarez Ortiz
-
- Kent Wong, Director of the UCLA Labor Center
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:
Because the protections provided by DACA have never been updated, almost all undocumented youth now entering higher education are not eligible for its protections. In California, there are already approximately 44,326 undocumented college students who are not eligible for DACA, and 27,000 undocumented students graduating from high school each year. Undocumented students in California cannot apply for jobs and other employment opportunities simply because of their status. This includes graduate student researcher and teaching assistant positions, work study jobs, paid internships, and student leadership positions in campus organizations, and other educational and professional opportunities for deeper involvement with their institutions.
###
About UCLA CILP:
Founded in 2020, the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) at the UCLA School of Law expands the law school’s role as a national leader in immigration law and policy, generating innovative ideas at the intersection of immigration scholarship and practice and serving as a hub for transforming those ideas into meaningful changes in immigration policy.
About the UCLA Labor Center:
The UCLA Labor Center believes that a public university belongs to the people and should advance quality education and employment for all. The center’s research, education, and policy work lifts industry standards, creates jobs that are good for communities, and strengthens immigrant rights, especially for students and youth.
About the Undocumented Student-Led Network:
The mission of the Undocumented Student-Led Network (USN) is to create a statewide network of immigrant youth leaders to work towards advancing an immigrant reform agenda.
About the UCLA Dream Resource Center:
The UCLA Dream Resource Center (DRC), a program team of the UCLA Labor Center, trains the next generation of diverse leaders—immigrant youth and allies with lived experiences—to be at the forefront of social justice movements and achieve equity and justice for workers, families, and communities.
