Dean Johnson Comments on Immigration Ruling for Arizona Republic
Dean Kevin R. Johnson commented for the Arizona Republic on U.S. District Judge Murray Snow's May 27 ruling that found that the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office discriminated against Latinos by engaging in racial profiling in enforcement operations targeting illegal immigration.
Dean Johnson said the ruling was a clear rebuke of the way deputies in the department had been trained, and that it calls into question the legal basis for the idea that local police have inherent authority to be involved in immigration enforcement.
"This claim of inherent authority and ability to do whatever the heck the head of the Sheriff's Office wants to do was something that stuck in Judge Snow's craw," Dean Johnson said. "This is a nation ruled by laws, and I think this judge takes the rule of law seriously."
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.