Radio station in S. Korea seeks Dean Johnson's insights into Trump's immigration policy

Dean Kevin Johnson spoke to tbs eFM, an English-language radio station in South Korea, about the Trump’s administration’s efforts to circumvent the Flores settlement agreement, which requires that children be released from immigration detention without unnecessary delay.

On July 10, a federal judge in Los Angeles rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to modify the agreement by asking to detain children for more than 20 days. It is one of the many legal setbacks the Trump administration has faced in pursuing its “zero tolerance” immigration policies.

“It doesn’t seem to matter to the Trump administration that they keep racking up all these losses,” Johnson told tbs eFM. “They keep pressing and pressing, and the courts keep rejecting it and rejecting it.”

At the same time, “the president does have some discretion to enforce immigration laws in the manner he sees fit,” Johnson said.

Kevin R. Johnson is dean, Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law, and professor of Chicana/o studies. He is an internationally recognized scholar in the fields of immigration law and policy, refugee law, and civil rights.