What is Opportunity for All?

The Opportunity for All campaign (also known as O4A or Assembly Bill 713) is spearheaded by the undocumented student-led network, with support from the UCLA Labor Center, and the UCLA School of Law Center of Immigration Law and Policy. The campaign proposes a legal theory that directly challenges the interpretation of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), which notoriously banned undocumented migrants from their right to work. The legal theory, which has been researched and supported by legal scholars from Berkeley School of Law, New York University School of Law, Cornell, Stanford and Yale, argues that the current legal interpretation is incorrect, and that states have the legal authority to hire undocumented students because there is nothing in IRCA that explicitly bans states from doing so.  States also have the autonomy to make decisions on employment, which only strengthens that undocumented migrants have every right to work, and be compensated fairly for it.  

The campaign is fighting for the right of undocumented students to be considered for campus jobs, and careers, regardless of “work authorization.” Opportunity for All took form in late 2022 with the original intention of being implemented at the University of California campuses, with hopes that this would set a precedent for other state schools such as California, State Universities, and California Community Colleges, then eventually all across the nation. Currently, Opportunity for All is being proposed at the California state level, if passed it will be applicable to all state schools, granting undocumented students across state colleges the right to be considered for jobs that will help ease some of the financial burdens that come with being an undocumented student.

A diverse group of people marching outdoors holding signs and banners supporting student and community rights at a university, on a sunny day with trees and a park-like setting in the background.

UNSTOPPABLE!

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UNDENIABLE!

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UNDOCUMENTED!

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UNAFRAID!

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UNSTOPPABLE! ~ UNDENIABLE! ~ UNDOCUMENTED! ~ UNAFRAID! ~

2022

2023-24

Colorful protest signs on grass with messages supporting people to be treated equally and not as criminals.
People participating in a rally, wearing blue shirts with the message "Every student, every worker, every person deserves an equal opportunity to succeed." Some holding signs and listening to speakers, with trees and a clear blue sky in the background.
Group of young people in a tight huddle outdoors, embracing each other in a show of camaraderie.
A group of young people sitting side by side at an indoor event, with their mouths covered by pieces of tape with messages written on them.

O4A as a UC-level policy

Opportunity for All was first presented in the UC Regents-decisions making body for all of the UCs- in May of 2023, when they unanimously voted to implement it. This was after long organizing efforts by undocumented students, who shut down the regents meeting. The Regents announced that they would implement the plan by November 2023, but unsurprisingly they failed to do so. In November of 2023, once again after long and tireless organizing efforts by the undocumented student activists, and allies, practiced civil disobedience at the UC Regents meeting. While students were protesting, they were met with police force and were handled with physical force by UCPD, some organizers were pushed and bruised. At the November 2023 Regents meeting, President Michale Drake stated that the university needed more time to devise a plan to implement the campaign, despite announcing months ago that they would have it done. In January of 2024, undocumented student leaders organized once again for another UC Regents meeting that would be determining the fate of Opportunity for All. Undocumented students from multiple UC campuses mobilized to UC San Francisco to make sure their demands were heard, in addition to starting a hunger strike until the plan was implemented. Unfortunately, the UC Regents voted against the implementation of the campaign, despite the fact that they unanimously agreed to it almost a year before. They decided to starve undocumented students rather than help them. Although the UC Regents refuse to hire undocumented students, hope is not lost, as Opportunity for All is being endorsed on a state level by assembly member David Alvarez. 

2024

Assembly Bill 2586 (Alvarez)

Group of diverse people holding signs that read 'PASS AB 2586 (ALVAREZ) #OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL,' standing outdoors in front of a building with columns and a blue sky.

AB Bill 2586, was introduced by Assemblymember, David Alvarez. It will extend opportunities for employment to undocumented students in the UC, CSU and Community College campuses. “The Assembly Bill will address the inequities faced by undocumented students in completing their degrees and supporting themselves financially while completing their education.” In California alone there are around 45,000 undocumented students who are unable to apply for employment on campuses because of their legal status, this bill would help combat that. Additionally, Bill 2586 would set a new precedent for immigration policy, not just in America but nationally, hopefully promoting other states to pass similar bills.

Three people in conversation outdoors, two men and one woman, with a historic building in the background and greenery all around.
A diverse group of people gathered outdoors for a rally or press conference, with a woman speaking at a podium and others holding signs and listening attentively.

2025

Assembly Bill 713 (Solache)

Assembly Bill 2586 713 would prohibit the University of California, California State University, or California Community Colleges from disqualifying a student from being hired for an employment position due to the students failure to provide proof of federal work authorization, except where that proof is required by federal law or where that proof is required as a condition of a grant that funds the particular employment position for which the student has applied.

A smiling man in a blue suit with a white shirt and blue tie, outdoor setting with greenery and a white fountain in the background.
Protesters holding a sign that reads 'Students United Will Never Be Defeated' during a demonstration.