LOS ANGELES – The 2024 presidential election result raises profound questions for immigrant communities across the United States. The incoming Trump administration’s policies and rhetoric will have lasting effects on millions of immigrants who call this country home, including those who are part of the University of California (UC) as students, staff, and faculty.

At the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP), we will continue to urge policymakers at all levels of government to address immigration policy issues with respect for the dignity and humanity of immigrants, and to focus on evidence-based solutions rather than fear-mongering. CILP remains committed to reimagining an immigration system that respects the rights of immigrants under U.S. law; complies with our humanitarian and international obligations; and is grounded in policies that welcome newcomers with humanity.

Since its founding four years ago, CILP has worked alongside partners at the UC to protect and expand opportunities available to undocumented students through innovative research. We have also litigated to protect immigrant communities, including people paroled into the United States, those excluded or penalized by restrictive border policies, and those who hold Temporary Protected Status. We intend to continue and expand that work in the years ahead.

Students enrolled at the UC should know that there are policies in place to protect the rights of all students, regardless of immigration status. In addition to state and federal laws that protect students’ privacy, UC policy provides that the University “will not release immigration status or related information in confidential student records ... without a judicial warrant, a subpoena, a court order, or as otherwise required by law.” The University also has a strict policy that generally prevents campus police from undertaking joint efforts with federal immigration enforcement or detaining people at the federal government’s request.

We urge students to seek further information and support from any of the robust immigration services and resources available to assist them, including at the UC Immigrant Legal Services office, which provides free immigration-related legal representation to all students and, in some cases, their family members.

Please attribute the following statements to:

Hiroshi Motomura, the Susan Westerberg Prager Distinguished Professor of Law and Faculty Co-Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law:

“The results of the 2024 presidential election pose an unprecedented threat to basic ideals that have been the shared aspiration of modern America – as a nation of immigrants that respects both human dignity and the contributions that immigrants make to this country. It’s more important than ever to expose the cynical falsehoods at the core of this threat, and to shape a fair immigration policy that recognizes immigrants’ humanity and belonging.”

Ahilan Arulanantham, Professor from Practice and Faculty Co-Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law:

“The immigrants’ rights movement rose to the challenge of a Trump administration eight years ago, and we will do so again. We know that Trump's racist attacks are a betrayal of this nation’s oft-broken promise to be a beacon of freedom. In the first Trump administration, the resistance was strongly supported by politicians – including California state leaders – who understood that Trump did not represent our values. We expect our state’s political leaders to stand tall in defense of immigrant communities once again.”

Talia Inlender, Deputy Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law:

“Our immigration system – along with who we are as a nation – will again be put to the test in a second Trump administration. We will be called on to protect our families, defend our neighbors, and continue to build toward a more just nation. Together, we can meet this moment by demanding that courts uphold the rights of all people, calling on our local and state leaders to step up in defense of our communities, and working alongside our students to realize this country’s promise as a nation that welcomes immigrants.”

About UCLA CILP: 

Founded in 2020, the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) at the UCLA School of Law expands the law school's role as a national leader in immigration law and policy, generating innovative ideas at the intersection of immigration scholarship and practice and serving as a hub for transforming those ideas into meaningful changes in immigration policy. 

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