UC Santa Barbara Undocumented Student Services and the University of California Immigrant Legal Services Center gave updates and answers during a workshop on May 20, led by UC Immigrant Legal Services Center Staff Attorney Amber Spring. Topics included birthright citizenship and access to immigration resources.

UC IMM Staff Attorney Amber Spring led the workshop, which involved discussing immigration and legal services available to students. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus

The workshop, held at the Student Resource Building, followed multiple informational sessions about navigating immigration and legal resources on campus under the current Trump administration. Legislation such as Executive Order 14159 “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” and recent changes in Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations have raised concerns over the status of immigrants in the United States, including students and employees on college campuses. 

Assistant Director of Undocumented Student Services (USS) Gemma Garcia explained that it was important to keep up with the changes in immigration laws using resources provided by experts on campus such as legal consultations. 

“I know that being bombarded with so much information about every change in every executive order could be a lot of confusion, so what we’re doing is relying on the experts to filter this information and let us know what’s the actual update, what things are taking effect in comparison to what executive orders are not,” Garcia said.

According to Spring, birthright citizenship is guaranteed under the 14th Amendment. The 1898 Supreme Court case United States v. Wong Kim Ark confirms the right to birthright citizenship. Spring also explained that three federal judges ruled the Jan. 20 executive order “blatantly unconstitutional,” and three separate federal appeals courts have refused to unblock orders against Trump’s executive order.

This means that citizenship and immigration rights are currently protected under nationwide injunctions. A Supreme Court decision is expected in late June or early July about the federal court’s authority to impose nationwide injunctions.

Spring also informed attendees about the current status of TPS being revoked from Venezuelan immigrants, expedited removal and the implications on the type of documentation students need to prevent expedited removal. According to Spring, expedited removal may affect anyone undocumented in the U.S. for less than two years. Spring advised that students show documentation such as a transcript if approached by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) officer.

The workshop invited attendees to ask about further resources and concerns with legal services. Attendees asked questions about additional protections from the University and ways to get in touch with a lawyer. Spring advised attendees to seek walk-in consultations through UC Immigrant Legal Services Center (UC Imm) for case-by-case assistance from attorneys. 

Garcia also encouraged students impacted by immigration issues to seek services provided by USS, including self-care events to help students engage with current events.

“Students should reach out if they are impacted by immigration, either because they are undocumented or because they come from [mixed-]status families and their families are being directly impacted by I.C.E. activity in the community — the best thing we can do is come together as a community,” Garcia said. 

Garcia advised students to stay open and informed when discussing immigration.

“Prevent from speaking on facts that you don’t know if they’re facts, but you can definitely approach these things from a place of curiosity. Like asking ‘I wonder how this is impacting undocumented students?’ instead of complete statements of ‘This is how things are impacting undocumented students,’” Garcia said. 

According to Garcia, immigration is an issue that impacts everyone, and staying informed on changes made by the current administration should be important for everyone. 

“I think that everyone in this country is impacted by immigration. We’re all interconnected, either through the economy, through culture, even through education and we all have this social responsibility of staying informed and using our agency to do what is best to continue to promote democracy or equity within our society,” Garcia said. “I think it’s better to do something rather than just waiting or not doing anything.” 

A version of this article appeared on p. 6 of the May 29, 2025 print edition of the Daily Nexus.