CalMatters Quotes Professor Johnson on Calls for Colleges to Prevent Arrests by ICE

Professor Kevin R. Johnson spoke to CalMatters for a March 19 story on how students are urging universities to prevent arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on their campuses.

The calls come in light of the Trump administration’s reversal in January of longtime U.S. policies that limited  ICE from arresting people at “sensitive locations” such as schools and churches. 

“The universities couldn’t physically try to stop immigration enforcement from coming on the campuses, but there’s a lot that can be done through legal means and just providing assistance to students that could be important in these times,” Johnson told CalMatters. 

The story notes that, for example, "many of California’s colleges and universities provide resources for immigrant students and students from mixed-status families, including “Know Your Rights” cards, on-campus Dream resource centers and free immigration legal services through partner nonprofits." 

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.