Overview
- An August ruling by the First District Court of Appeal found UC failed to justify the policy and instructed the system to reassess it rather than overturning it outright.
- UC said it is assessing its options and warned that changing the policy could trigger legal exposure under federal hiring laws, including fines, criminal penalties, and frozen funding.
- Plaintiffs and immigrant-rights advocates urged UC to revise the policy, arguing that access to campus jobs is crucial for students’ income and academic opportunities.
- UC continues to employ students with DACA work authorization, but the years-long freeze on new DACA applications limits many undocumented students’ access to on-campus work.
- The case unfolds as UC contends with suspended federal research grants and a White House demand for a proposed $1 billion fine over civil-rights and related allegations.