Townhall has reported how left-wing universities mandate COVID-19 vaccines for students, have canceled conservative speakers from hosting events on campus, and injected divisive lessons, like Critical Race Theory, into the curriculum. In addition, some liberal schools even provide abortion pills on campus for their students. Now, a university system in a blue state is moving forward with a plan to allow students who are in the United States illegally and do possess a work permit to work on their college campus.
This week, the University of California Board of Regents agreed to move forward with an agenda to potentially allow illegal immigrants who lack legal status and work permits to be employed across its college campuses.
According to the Los Angeles Times, this “groundbreaking move would reshape the lives of thousands of young people who were brought to the country without papers as children[.]”
Reportedly, the regents voted to form a working group to examine the legal issues surrounding this idea. The university system has been “under pressure to challenge a 1986 federal law barring the hire of immigrants without legal status by asserting that it does not apply to states.”
“Absolutely, it is our intention to find a way to allow employment opportunities for all our students, regardless of their immigration status,” Regent John A. Pérez, one of the key leaders pushing the policy forward, said. “This is too important to get wrong.”
And, UC President Michael V. Drake and Board of Regents Chair Rich Leib said in a joint statement that “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.”
The plan was outlined in an executive summary of the May 18th meeting. According to Fox News, this move is already seeing Republican opposition. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), wrote to Gov. Gavin Newsom this week expressing opposition to the agenda.
"In keeping with the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized federal law preempts state or local immigration actions," Issa reportedly wrote. "The court has repeatedly made clear that IRCA leaves no room for states to adopt their own immigration employment measures, nor can they conflict with the federal law’s objectives and purposes."
Issa warned that the schools could lose federal funding as a result.
"Rather than devote scarce time and resources to this — particularly during an historic and worsening state budget crisis — university leadership should focus on better ways to reduce administrative overhead, rebuild core studies, reinstate a healthy atmosphere of free speech on campus and regain the public trust in what was once the hallmark of our nation’s finest systems of higher education," Issa said.
