Suing for work

The University of California bars undocumented students from working jobs on its campuses, but a new lawsuit is seeking to overturn that rule. Two former undocumented undergraduate students sued the school Oct. 1, calling on university leaders to allow students like them to work on campus.

In their lawsuit, Jeffry Umaña Muñoz and Iliana Perez say they both came to the United States as young children with their family members. They argue their undocumented status hampered their college education, affecting which jobs or schools they applied for. Muñoz said his undocumented status affected whether or not he received stipends listed with fellowships he undertook.

As of 2021, roughly 408,000 undocumented students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, according to an American Immigration Council estimate. Many of these students arrived in the United States as young children when their parents illegally crossed the border or overstayed a visa.

About one-third of these students are eligible to work through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that protects eligible applicants from deportation and permits them to work. Others may work if they have temporary protected status due to unsafe conditions in their home country.

Other undocumented students are not authorized to work as employees but could still legally earn an income through independent contracting, starting a business, or joining a workers cooperative. (They still must pay income taxes.)

The lawsuit from Muñoz and Perez bases its argument on a UCLA legal theory that a 1986 federal law banning the hiring of undocumented workers doesn’t apply to state entities, such as public schools. Proponents of the theory say that state employers are exempt from the law in question since it doesn’t specify that it applies to those groups.

In January, the University of California Board of Regents rejected a policy proposal to allow undocumented students to work on campus. The board raised concerns that the move could jeopardize the school system’s federal contracts if it faced litigation. The petitioners have asked the court to decide the case before the UC admission application deadline, Nov. 30.

Associated Press/Photo by John McDonnell

Politics goes to preschool

Preschool students at the ACCA Child Development Center in Annandale, Va., learned how elections work this school year by voting on their favorite characters on the children’s TV show PAW Patrol. The 3- and 4-year-olds noted their choices by writing their names under the picture of their favorite character on the popular show, which features talking puppies who respond to emergencies. Teachers said the activity taught children about problem-solving and how to handle disappointment if their candidate lost. Advocates are pushing for increased civics instruction for students, though most states already require some form of it. “I don’t see how we can change the adults,” ACCA Executive Director María-Isabel Ballivian told the Associated Press. “But … if we work hard, we can prepare our children for a better future.” —L.D.