UC undocumented students are mobilizing for AB 2586, which would allow them to work on campuses

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In 2011, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California Dream Act, which allowed undocumented youth to attend public universities in the state.

Thousands of students took advantage of this, but there was a problem, they did not have access to jobs on campus.

Now, these students are hopeful that Gov. Gavin Nesom will sign off on California Assembly Bill 2586, which would prohibit California public colleges from hiring undocumented students from on-campus work because they don’t have federal authorization.

“Thousands of undocumented students currently enrolled in the University of California (and the CSU & CA Community Colleges) are currently being unjustly barred from campus employment opportunities. We need our student allies to let Gov. Newsom (@gavinnewsom) know that ALL California residents AND voters demand he sign #AB2586.”, they say.

This week, students are carrying out a mobilization to put pressure on the governor’s office.

The mobilization is called Call to Action and they invite UC Students to call their office and information will be given at this Zoom link. “Call the Governor to encourage him to sign AB 2586 at 916-445-2841. Phone banks will be held with this zoom link:

http://(https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ucla.zoom.us/j/99521164400*success__;Iw!!Mih3wA !GxMr6gJjTxC6T1J-TD8PUFFzbzue6_JqW-wjX6IQ1d2Nj7nGR0XdUWNEJIIegmMg9C2e-sSxISRAtbTDaA$)

When calling, feel free to use this script: “My name is ___. I ask Gov. Newsom to sign AB 2586 because I believe every California student deserves an equal opportunity to succeed and achieve their educational goals,” the invitation says.

This bill would allow local universities to bypass a provision in federal law that bans hiring undocumented non-citizens because it doesn’t fall under any branch of the California Government.

Although the University of California, California State University, and California Community College systems have said they don’t oppose the bill, the institutions are concerned about implementing the regulations due to the federal government.

Some of those concerns are focused on the impact of federal funding, as well as how the hiring of undocumented students for on-campus jobs could negatively impact other students and faculty on a federal level.

“I don’t think the federal government will go through with cutting funding,” said Gabriel Buelna, an immigration attorney at the Buelna Law Firm and content creator on TikTok. “I think people can make all kinds of arguments that students are going to be [affected] if they went to some school that allowed students that are undocumented, that’s just people reaching really, really far.”

Activists push to obtain work authorizations for undocumented immigrants