Pomona College dismissed 17 employees, 16 of them from the dining service, in December when they could not produce documents showing that they were legally in the United States, The New York Times reported. Some of the employees had worked for the college for many years, and their firings have angered many students and alumni. Critics argue that the colleges is failing to live up to its ideals. But college officials said that, under U.S. law, they had no choice but to act when they received a "credible complaint" that some of the employees were working illegally. That led to the request for documents, which in turn prompted the dismissals.