Dean Johnson Cited in Mother Jones Immigration Article
An essay written by Dean Kevin R. Johnson and published the Sacramento Bee is quoted in an article in Mother Jones magazine debunking claims regarding immigration laws in California and Arizona.
The article responds to statements contained in a viral email and repeated in conservative media claiming that California has an immigration law on the books nearly identical to the controversial measure passed by Arizona voters in May, which has prompted some California cities to initiate boycotts of Arizona. In actuality, California voters did pass such a law as part of 1994's Proposition 187, but it was struck down in a federal court ruling and is unenforceable.
The Mother Jones article quotes Dean Johnson's essay in explaining that "The Arizona law [SB 1070] is constitutionally deficient for precisely the same reasons that Proposition 187 was struck down," because it infringes upon the federal government's jurisdiction over immigration enforcement.
Kevin R. Johnson is Dean and Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o studies at UC Davis School of Law. He is an internationally recognized scholar in the fields of immigration law and policy, refugee law, and civil rights.