IMMIGRATIONU. of California Faces Lawsuit for Not Hiring Illegal Aliens
UC’s Board of Regents decided by a vote in January to suspend for one year the implementation of its policy that allowed the hiring of illegal aliens. Now, the university faces a lawsuit for not offering jobs to illegal aliens.
The University of California faces a lawsuit for not offering jobs to illegal aliens in accordance with a January decision by the Board of Regents.
“A UCLA alumnus and a university lecturer, represented by attorneys from the law firm of Altshuler Berzon LLP, Organized Power in Numbers, and the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) at the UCLA School of Law, filed a lawsuit against the University of California (UC) for discriminating against undocumented students enrolled at the institution,” a UCLA law news release stated.
The petitioners are UCLA alumnus and campus organizer Jeffry Umaña Muñoz and UCLA lecturer and executive director of Immigrants Rising Dr. Iliana Perez, according to the release. Immigrants Rising is an organization that helps illegal aliens acquire education and pursue careers, according to its website.
UC’s Board of Regents decided by a vote in January to suspend for one year the implementation of its policy that allowed the hiring of illegal aliens.
“We must protect our institution, which would be subject to civil fines, criminal penalties, or debarment from federal contracting if the University is found to be in violation of the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act,” UC President Michael Drake said of the decision.
Drake also said that the university must protect employees “who might be subject to criminal or civil prosecution if they knowingly participate in hiring practices deemed impermissible under federal law.”
“The Regents’ only justification for adopting this facially discriminatory policy is the mistaken belief, unilluminated by any judicial opinion, that federal law requires it. But the federal law in question – the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), which prohibits hiring undocumented persons – does not apply to state employers such as the University of California (UC),” the lawsuit stated.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently vetoed a bill that he said would have prohibited “California public universities from disqualifying a student from employment due to their failure to provide proof of federal employment authorization.”
“Given the gravity of the potential consequences of this bill, which include potential criminal and civil liability for state employees, it is critical that the courts address the legality of such a policy and the novel legal theory behind this legislation before proceeding,” Newsom said.
