New California Bill Would Let Deported Professors Keep Teaching under ‘Catastrophic Leave?’

From the “you can’t make this $@*! up file, Assembly Bill 2019 requires a community college district to allow a deported or detained faculty member to perform, to the extent possible, their instruction and professional duties remotely. And the bill requires a deported or detained faculty member provide verification their departure occurred due to immigration enforcement actions, voluntary removal due to the threat of immigration enforcement, or denial of reentry to the US while briefly traveling abroad.

According to the bill, this “would require a community college district to allow its faculty who departed the United States on or after January 1, 2027, for a specified reason, including, among others, due to immigration enforcement actions by the Department of Homeland Security, and who was teaching for the community college district at the time of departure to perform their instruction and professional duties through distance education or other remote modalities offered by the community college district, as provided. By imposing new duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.”

AB 2019 Bill Analysis by Assembly Appropriations says:

Community colleges must abide by federal and state employment laws, meaning employees must have legal work authorization for employment at a CCD. Therefore, some faculty members may be lawfully employed at a CCD by virtue of a permanent resident card (green card), a J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa, H-1B Specialty Occupation Visa, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) eligibility. However, according to the Deportation Data Project, in 2025 “Immigrations and Custom enforcement began making more arrests of people without criminal convictions and more arrests at large in communities and at ICE check-ins,” which resulted in significantly increased detainments and deportations of immigrants, including those with lawful status. The bill’s author contends that by allowing a deported or detained faculty member to continue instruction remotely, the “bill ensures that when unexpected circumstances arise, our community colleges can respond with clarity, consistency, and a continued commitment to student success.”

According to AB 2019 Bill Analysis prepared by the Assembly Higher Education committee:

Author’s intent. As conveyed by the author, “California’s community colleges are built on the promise of access, stability, and opportunity. For many students who depend on our community colleges – particularly those who are first-generation, economically disadvantaged, or balancing work and family responsibilities—these disruptions can derail their academic progress and delay their path to a degree or transfer to an institution that grants four-year degrees. AB 2019 addresses this gap by providing limited faculty protections designed to maintain instructional continuity for students. This bill ensures that when unexpected circumstances arise, our community colleges can respond with clarity, consistency, and a continued commitment to student success.”