Latest Trump Immigration Order Mainly a 'Political Statement,' Professor Johnson Tells Bee

Professor Kevin R. Johnson spoke to Sacramento Bee reporter Nicole Nixon for a Feb. 21 story on President Donald Trump’s executive order directing federal agencies to halt any benefits paid to undocumented immigrants.

As Nixon points out, most undocumented immigrants already are ineligible for Social Security and federal food benefits for low-income families. Some immigrants granted temporary legal status can obtain benefits including Medicaid.

“It doesn’t appear that this order will have much of an impact besides being a political statement,” Johnson told Nixon. Like Trump’s other actions on immigration policy, the order aims to have a chilling effect.

“It may be the case that many immigrants, including lawful immigrants, may feel that they shouldn’t access any benefits programs for the chance of ending up getting deported by the Trump administration,” Johnson said.

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.