Newsweek, CalMatters Quote Professor Johnson on Impact of Trump Immigration Orders

Professor Kevin R. Johnson spoke to Newsweek and CalMatters for roundup stories addressing the impact of, and legal responses to, President Donald Trump’s flurry of immigration enforcement executive orders.

The Feb. 27 Newsweek story detailed which among the orders already had been blocked or paused by legal challenges. 

"I don't know that anybody could've anticipated 10 immigration executive orders in the first week of the Trump presidency," Johnson told Newsweek. "I do think it's fair to say that the people in the Trump White House are much more prepared and organized than they appeared to be in the first term. ... Different groups are jockeying for position, and I don't want to say it's a free-for-all, but it certainly is something of a legal gun fight."

The Feb. 10 CalMatters story focused on the effects of Trump’s orders, particularly in California. 

“The big issue is this basically full-court press on immigration enforcement and the fear it’s generated,” Johnson said. “(The fear) probably is the biggest impact of all.”

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.