Campus jobs for undocumented students blocked by Newsom veto

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Set us as preferred Gov.Gavin Newsom on Sunday vetoed a bill that would have opened paid campus jobs to undocumented students at California’s public colleges and universities.Assembly Bill 713 would have barred the University of California, California State University and state community colleges from disqualifying students from campus employment because they could not show federal work authorization.It was the second time in two years that Newsom struck down such a bill.

In his veto message, Newsom said he was concerned about “potential criminal and civil liability for state employees” if the bill became law.Newsom rejected a similar bill in 2024, after UC regents reversed their support for the policy and as fears grew that the state could face federal repercussions by justifying the hiring under an legal theory developed by UCLA legal scholars.“Unfortunately, my concerns about its unintended consequences have only grown,” Newsom said in Sunday’s veto message.“The current federal government has shown it is quick to wreak destruction for political spectacle — attacking California’s public higher education institutions and terrorizing immigrant communities, including students, with reckless disregard for consequences and a desire for chaos.”“California remains committed to economic opportunity and tuition affordability for all students, including leading efforts to support undocumented students who face growing barriers and threats under this cruel federal administration,” Newsom said.The UCLA professors argued that a 1986 federal law banning employers from hiring undocumented workers does not apply to state governments.

That theory underpinned the bill, but Newsom warned that proceeding before federal courts established its legality was a risk.“The federal courts must resolve the legality of the nov...