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Sanctuary Campus

In 2019, the State of California passed AB21 mandating that California public colleges and universities establish policies and procedures that protect the rights of all members of our community. In January 2025, the UC renewed its pledge to ensure that everyone on our campuses has access to education without intimidation, confusion or fear. The UC administration has affirmed that UCPD will not undertake joint efforts with federal immigration officials and that UC employees are not required to affirmatively assist them either. But given President Trump’s Executive Orders and professed desire to deport millions of our neighbors, the UC may not be able to ensure that federal immigration agencies will not enter our campuses

Campuses including UCLA have published guidance for teaching faculty who might be approached by an immigration officer while on campus property, which includes:

  • Remain Calm – know that there is campus support for these encounters.
      • Note: Under the 5th Amendment of the Constitution, you have a right to remain silent until you can consult legal counsel. More Know Your Rights information below.
  • Request the official’s name, identification number, and agency affiliation as well as a copy of their warrant or court order.
      • Note: Under the 4th amendment, immigration officers do not have a right to enter your home, car, or working space without a warrant signed by a judge.
      • Note: You have a right to refuse to sign any document you are presented with.
  • Inform the officer that you are not obstructing their access but are following campus protocol and refer them to the Office of Campus Counsel.
  • Call your Office of Campus Counsel and explain your present encounter with the immigration officer and provide them the information you collected in Step 2.
  • Know that you are not alone – the university’s guidance includes calling your campus administration and campus legal counsel, who will provide you support as a university employee. 

We know that encounters with agents on campus are not the only concerns right now. We know that the Trump administration is purposefully creating chaos and fear to further terrorize our immigrant communities. While UC-AFT cannot provide legal advice in immigration cases, we will provide all the support that we can and encourage you to contact your campus rep immediately. 

Information on this page will be updated as frequently as possible. If you have a question that has not been addressed here, please contact us right away.  

In the days since Trump’s Inauguration, the California Attorney General Rob Bonta has reaffirmed that the State of California will continue to enforce its laws and protect the rights of its residents regardless of federal immigration actions. They have also issued resources outlining those rights and protections, including: 

More information on California’s policies for immigrants and families available at https://www.ca.gov/immigration/

Since 2016, when the University of CA issued its “Principles in Support of Undocumented Members of the University Community,” the UC has continued to update its guidance on the rights of students and employees. According to those guidelines:

“If you are presented with a warrant by a federal immigration enforcement officer seeking to enter University housing or other limited access areas of your workspace on University property, take steps to ensure that the immigration enforcement officers have authority to enter the property before admitting them. As noted above, civil and administrative warrants do not authorize entry without consent, but a criminal search or arrest warrant may authorize entry without consent.  Because it can be difficult to distinguish among different kinds of warrants, ask the officer for documentation of their name, identification number,  agency affiliation, and business card; ask for a copy of the warrant or subpoena presented, inform the officer that you are not obstructing their process but need to consult with Campus/Medical Center Counsel for assistance, and contact Campus or Medical Center Counsel.”

Additional guidance and information provided by UC includes:

Teaching faculty and librarians play a critical role in creating safe, supportive and inclusive environments for all students. We encourage members to share resources so that we can provide the best possible support to all your students navigating complex immigration situations. Have advice to share? Contact us and we will add it here. 

If you are interested in defending the rights of immigrants in your community, getting involved locally is the best option right now. If you are in urgent need of legal assistance, these organizations may also be able to help you. For additional local resources in your area, check out this database.

  1. United We Dream – https://unitedwedream.org/ 
  2. CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights) – https://www.chirla.org/
  3. CA Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance – https://ciyja.org/ 
  4. Asian American Advancing Justice – https://www.asianlawcaucus.org/ 
  5. CA Rural Legal Assistance: https://www.crlaf.org 
  6. MALDEF – Latino Legal Voice for Civil Rights – https://www.maldef.org/
  7. Immigrant Defenders Law Center – https://www.immdef.org/ 
  8. San Diego Immigrant Rights Coalition – https://www.immigrantsandiego.org/ 
  9. East Bay Community Law Center – https://ebclc.org/ 
  10. Detention Watch Network – detentionwatchnetwork.org
  11. Mijente – mijente.net