Professor Johnson Talks to L.A. Times About ICE Probe of State Assistance for Vulnerable Noncitizens

Professor Kevin R. Johnson spoke to the Los Angeles Times for a May 12 report on a Trump administration investigation into California’s Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, which provides monthly cash benefits to a limited number of senior, blind or disabled undocumented immigrants ineligible for Social Security benefits.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement began the investigation in Los Angeles, with ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations field office issuing a Title VIII subpoena. Johnson told the Times that the scope of the subpoena is exceptionally broad.

“Issuing a subpoena with this breadth is like trying to pick a fight; it’s asking for heaven and earth in terms of information,” Johnson said. “It’s classic Trump administration handiwork.”

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.