Dean Johnson Comments on Citizenship Law for Associated Press
Dean Kevin R. Johnson commented for a report by the Associated Press on a proposed Arizona law that would repeal birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants in that state. The article appeared in numerous media outlets both online and in print, including the Wall Street Journal.
Dean Johnson said that birthright citizenship, a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, is a settled area of law. "I don't see how a state can curtail something guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. It's very unlikely that that any effort to curtail birthright citizenship can prevail in the courts," Dean Johnson said.
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.