Dean Johnson Discusses Ariz. Immigration Suit for WPR
Dean Kevin R. Johnson discussed the lawsuit filed by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on behalf of the federal government against Arizona's new immigration law on The Kathleen Dunn Show, a news talk program of Wisconsin Public Radio.
Dean Johnson said that the Department of Justice's claim is based on a "clear cut" issue of constitutional law, which is that immigration enforcement is exclusively within the power of the federal government. "I think the Department of Justice claim is a valid one, a straightforward one, and it's based in law," said Dean Johnson.
The dean also discussed issues of racial profiling as they relate to the Arizona law, the precedent set by the federal court decision that overturned California's Proposition 187, which sought to deny government services to undocumented immigrants, and the need for comprehensive immigration reform at a national level.
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.