Dean Johnson Comments on U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Asylum Ruling

Dean Kevin R. Johnson commented for the Daily Journal on a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruling on the eligibility for asylum of wealthy landowners targeted for kidnappings and other attacks in their home countries.  

In the ruling, the Ninth Circuit reversed the Board of Immigration Appeals and ordered it to reconsider protections for a Mexican and Columbian who fled to the U.S. after being targeted by armed gangs. The immigrants were seeking asylum under a section of law allowing for protection of individuals belonging to a "particular social group." The meaning of the phrase has been the subject of a long-running debate, and the Court's decision brings added clarity to the definition, Dean Johnson said.

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.