Dean Johnson Comments on Trump Administration Immigration Plans for New Republic

Dean Kevin R. Johnson commented for the The New Republic on constitutional issues raised by president-elect Donald Trump’s plans to deport immediately 11 million undocumented immigrants and to bar Muslims from immigrating to the United States.

Dean Johnson said that it would be extremely difficult to “round up” millions of immigrants, given Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, and difficult to deport such a large number of people, given that non-citizens are entitled to due process in immigration proceedings. Trump’s plans to bar Muslims from immigrating and to institute special surveillance of Muslim Americans raise serious questions with regard to the Equal Protection clause, 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.