Will Newsom let immigrant college students without legal status work at their campuses?

Theory Briefing

• A California bill backed by Democrats would let undocumented students work on their college campuses, a right currently denied under federal law.
• The bill rests on an untested legal theory, meaning no court has yet confirmed whether states can carve out this kind of employment exception.
• Republican opposition sets up a clear partisan fault line, leaving Governor Newsom as the deciding vote on whether to test the legal argument.
• If signed, the law would likely face immediate legal challenges, making the campuses a live experiment in state versus federal authority over immigration.