In CalMatters, Professor Johnson Lends Historical Context to L.A. Immigration Clashes

Professor Kevin R. Johnson wrote a June 11 guest commentary for CalMatters that lent historical context to the Trump administration's recent immigration enforcement actions in Los Angeles, which included mobilizing the National Guard despite Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom objecting.

“The operations in Southern California in recent weeks bear an eerie resemblance to the Mexican repatriation campaign during the Great Depression,” Johnson writes in the piece, noting that Trump’s tactics also evoke Gov. Pete Wilson’s support for the 1994 anti-immigrant measure Prop. 187.

“Prop. 187 marked the death knell of the Republican Party in California (as well as Wilson’s political career),” Johnson points out. "Latinos mobilized, immigrants naturalized and voter turnout soared. They elected Democratic legislators in record numbers, including many Latinos. California would later declare itself to be a sanctuary state.”

The Trump administration’s immigration measures aimed at currying political support “will have devastating impacts on the Latino community,” Johnson writes, while history suggests “that in the long run, a political price will be paid” as well.

Kevin R. Johnson is a distinguished professor of law, Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law, and Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law. Johnson also has an appointment as professor of Chicana/o studies at UC Davis. He served as dean of UC Davis Law from 2008 to 2024. Johnson is an internationally recognized scholar in the fields of immigration law and policy, refugee law, and civil rights.