Professor Aldana: Immigration Enforcement Actions Not in Line with History

Professor Raquel Aldana spoke to writer Alex Russell for a UC Davis College of Letters and Science story on recent immigration enforcement actions, including the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January.

“The historical context of these powers of immigration enforcement doesn’t match how these powers are being used on the ground,” Aldana told Russell. “ICE and CBP are behaving as though they are in a war. Their tactics go further than what police are allowed, and we’re seeing the consequences of that, including the killings of people engaged in protest.”

Raquel E. Aldana joined UC Davis in 2017 to serve as the inaugural Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Diversity and returned to full-time law teaching in 2020. Aldana’s research has focused on transitional justice, criminal justice reforms and sustainable development in Latin America, as well as immigrant rights. She has authored or edited five books and published over 30 law review articles or book chapters. She is a graduate of Arizona State University and Harvard Law School.