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Press Advisory

Undocumented Student Organizers Lead Statewide Week of Action to Push University of California to Adopt Opportunity for All

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By Silvia Vazquez

MEDIA ADVISORY for: February 28, 2023

CONTACT

Hayley Burgess, UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy,  cilppress@law.ucla.edu, 626-497-2341

Silvia Vazquez, UCLA Labor Center and Dream Resource Center, vazsil89@ucla.edu, 424-354-6069

Undocumented Student Organizers Lead Statewide Week of Action 

to Push University of California to Adopt Opportunity for All

LOS ANGELES – This week, undocumented student organizers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) are leading a statewide week of action to urge the University of California (UC) leadership to remove hiring restrictions for students who don’t have access to DACA or other immigration protections. The Opportunity for All campaign launched in October 2022 with broad support from leading immigration scholars and labor leaders, and has since grown its support exponentially among students and allies across all 10 UC campuses.

This statewide week of action comes at the heels of the introduction of the Dream Act of 2023 by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) and a new report that urges state and federal policymakers to help undocumented students access, afford, and succeed in higher education. As leading scholars of immigration and constitutional law from around the country have shown, however, the University of California already has the power under existing law to provide its undocumented students equal access to education and employment opportunities.

In California, there are approximately 44,326 undocumented college students who are not eligible for DACA, and 27,000 undocumented students graduating from high school each year, almost none of whom are eligible for DACA. These undocumented students across UC campuses are now organizing for their right to an equitable education.

“We are organizing this week of action to show the UC that we have power and support throughout the state, and to urge them to take urgent action to ensure that all students across the UC system have access to education and employment opportunities, regardless of immigration status,” said Karely Amaya, a UCLA graduate student. “Over the past few months, we’ve been inspired by the mobilization of undocumented students and allies not just here at UCLA, but throughout all the UC campuses. We are hearing from students in places like Merced, Irvine, Santa Barbara, everywhere – that they want Opportunity for All. So now it’s up to the UC: will you live up to your promise of equity and inclusion for all students?”

WHAT:

  • Digital Actions
    • Follow #Opportunity4All, #O4All, & #O4A on Twitter and Instagram to see a broad mobilization of student stories, endorsements, and graphics in support of the campaign.
    • Students at all 9 UC Campuses will engage in Thursday’s (03/02) Digital Day of Action that will include:
      • Social media & email storms directed to the UC Regents & Office of the President.
      • Several key mobilizations of student stories and experiences in support of the campaign.
    • Rallies & Teach-ins
      • Statewide Teach-in (virtual via Zoom); Register here
        • Date: March 1, 2023 at 4:30 PM PST
      • Rally at UCLA
      • Tabling & campus outreach
        • Students at UCLA and UC Berkeley will host tables on campus and speak with passers-by about the campaign.
        • Undocumented student campaign organizers will hold two separate systemwide calls:
          • UC Campuses’ Student Governments and UC Student Association
          • Full Campaign Campus Unity Call

WHEN: February 27 – March 3, 2023

WHERE: Across University of California campuses.

WHO: Undocumented students and allies, the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) at the UCLA School of Law, UCLA Labor Center, Undocumented Student-Led Network (USN), and the UCLA Dream Resource Center.

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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. Every day we bring together workers, students, faculty, and policymakers to address the most critical issues facing working people today. Our research, education, and policy work lifts industry standards, creates jobs that are good for communities, and strengthens immigrant rights, especially for students and youth. The UCLA Labor Center is housed in the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, a multidisciplinary research center dedicated to the study, teaching, and discussion of labor and employment issues at UCLA.

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. USN commits to expand and advocate for undocumented student resources, as well as build community and create safe spaces across campuses. Ultimately, the USN aims to uplift undocumented voices and accurately portray the undocumented experience.

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.

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