In May 2023, students without legal status across the University of California system awaited an answer from the University of California Board of Regents regarding Opportunity for All, a policy that allows undocumented students without work permits to be employed on campus, despite federal policies that bar people without legal status from finding employment.
The USS held an open house on Oct. 12 at the HSSB McCune Conference Room. Daily Nexus / Michelle Cisneros
The Regents vote was suspended for a year because “the proposed legal pathway” was “not viable” at the time, according to a press release from University of California (UC) President Michael V. Drake. “We must avoid exposing our students and their families to the possibility of criminal prosecution, deportation, or anything that might force a change in their immigration status,” the statement read.
Opportunity for All relies on a legal theory that since the federal prohibition on hiring undocumented people doesn’t include state entities, such as the UC system, UC schools can offer employment regardless of legal status. In September, Assembly Bill 2586, which would have codified the legal framework of Opportunity for All, was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
There is currently no legal avenue of employment for undocumented students on UC campuses.
According to a study published by the Journal of College & University Law, between the 2016-17 and 2022-23 academic years, new enrollments for low-income, undocumented students declined by half at UC and California State University campuses.
Given the state of limbo in which Opportunity for All is in, the Nexus has compiled a list of resources and services for undocumented students on campus through Undocumented Student Services and partnering departments.
Legal Services & Application Aid
The Undocumented Student Services (USS) department was established in 2014, according to Director Melissa Candell Villacreses. USS stemmed from the work of the UC Santa Barbara Dream Scholar Resource Team, a group created by the Division of Student Affairs and the student organization Improving Dreams Equality Access and Success (I.D.E.A.S.) to formalize resources for Dream Scholars – students who are a part of the California Nonresident Tuition Exemption and other non-residents.
Through a partnership with the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center, USS offers free legal services to students and their immediate family members. UCSB’s designated immigration legal counsel, Staff Attorney Amber Spring, is available to discuss renewals for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that defers legal action for people who came to the U.S. as children, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a status given to people coming from “extraordinary and temporary conditions,” among other forms of immigration relief.
Basic Needs and Mental Health Services
Facilitating basic needs resources is another cornerstone of the USS department. Since undocumented individuals cannot apply for CalFresh, USS offers up to two $50 grocery vouchers per quarter that are distributed by the Food Security and Basic Needs Advising Center, located in the UCEN across from the UCSB Campus Store. Additionally, the Monarch Lounge offers a community space located in the Annex that has a kitchen, snacks, feminine hygiene products and information on additional resources.
UndocuStudent Support Group is a Counseling and Psychological Services (C.A.P.S.) support group for undocumented students that meets on Tuesdays from 3:30-5 p.m. at the Main C.A.P.S. building.
The Basic Needs office has also published a resource guide with additional information.
Financial Aid
Although Federal Student Aid is open to U.S. permanent residents and conditional permanent residents, it is not available to those who don’t fall into that criteria. The USS collaborates with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships and Career Services through the Monarch Opportunity Scholarship (MOS) to provide financial assistance for those not eligible for federal aid, UC work-study or receiving financial aid through the CA Dream Act.
MOS was created in 2016 as a response to Donald Trump’s then-potential presidency and the effect it would have on the undocumented community. It is primarily used to give students professional experience opportunities through partnerships with academic departments.
According to Villacreses, the USS is always looking to partner with more academic departments to create more internship opportunities for students.
Through funding from the UC Office of the President (UCOP), all departments were given additional financial resources to create credit-bearing experiential learning opportunities.
Employment and Career-Readiness Opportunities
The USS also offers internships and mentor positions to undocumented students within its own office to help facilitate programs and obtain a stipend.
“[Undocumented students] usually have a lot of the answers to ‘how do we build more community?’” USS Assistant Director Gemma Garcia said. “I think it’s a matter of facilitating resources to the students so they can make the most of what we have and create solutions to better their experience now, but also for future generations of incoming undocumented students.”
Other programs offered by the USS include entrepreneurship, Pre-Pair, UndocuSuccess, UndocuGrad Exploration and UndocuGrad Prep, which are designed to help participants during their undergraduate studies and after graduation.
Opportunities such as these help bridge the gap experienced by students who can’t obtain other forms of employment due to their legal status.
“[Meeting my mentees] was so nice, after we wrapped up [they said] that it felt so nice to have a community that they share experiences with,” a USS mentor who wished to remain anonymous due to privacy reasons regarding their legal status said. “So that was really rewarding for me.”
Two other mentors said they felt similarly about meeting other students within the program.
“Just because I’m mentoring undergrad[s] doesn’t mean I’m not learning from [them], a lot of the things that I know, it’s because of [them] and their advocacy and their efforts that they do for the undocumented community. It has taught me a lot as a person and how I want to carry myself as a grad student,” Chicana and Chicano studies doctoral candidate and USS intern Alejandra Mejia-Pulido said.
According to Villacreses, the department is currently solidifying its current services before expanding into new resources.
“[I want] undocumented students to know that they have a place on campus, that they belong here and that they can always reach out to us if they want to learn more about the resources,” Garcia said.
A version of this article appeared on p. 4 of the Oct. 17, 2024 edition of the Daily Nexus.
