The University of California regents, saying they support an equitable education for all, unanimously agreed Thursday to find a pathway to enact a bold policy to hire students who lack legal status and work permits.
The groundbreaking move would reshape the lives of thousands of young people who were brought to the country without papers as children and have lived precariously without legal access to jobs, research positions and career opportunities. California is home to about 1 in 5 of the nation’s college students without legal authorization.
The public university system has been under pressure to challenge a 1986 federal law barring the hiring of immigrants without legal status by asserting that it does not apply to states. A novel theory developed by UCLA law scholars asserts that the federal law does not specifically include states — or UC, as a state entity — in its language establishing employer sanctions so does not apply to them.
The regents voted to form a working group to examine that legal issue, along with practical considerations about how to roll out what is sure to be a controversial policy. But they made clear they are committed to their immigrant students and said the working group would complete its proposed plan by November.
“Absolutely, it is our intention to find a way to allow employment opportunities for all our students, regardless of their immigration status,” said Regent John A. Pérez, one of the key leaders in the effort to push a new policy...
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