Dean Johnson Comments on Immigration Policy for Pacifica Radio

Dean Kevin R. Johnson commented on U.S. immigration policy as part of a roundtable discussion broadcast on the Pacifica Radio program The Scholars' Circle. Much of the discussion focused on the ways in which increased border enforcement has had little impact on the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States, but has brought added hardships for those attempting to cross the border and increased involvement from organized crime.

Dean Johnson commented that immigration is driven by the demand for labor in the U.S. and that immigration reform will need to address the existence of that demand in order to be successful.

"In my estimation, what needs to be done and what hasn't been done in the last 100 years of American immigration law is to look carefully at the supply and demand of labor and pay some attention to that economic reality in fashioning a law that allows for realistic immigration and doesn't require unrealistic enforcement that leads to the kinds of problems we have today," he 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.

The Scholars' Circle

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