Dean Johnson Cited in Salon Immigration Article
Research by Dean Kevin R. Johnson was cited in a Salon article that examines the terminology associated with immigration in the wake of recent announcements that major media including the Associated Press would use the term "undocumented immigrant" rather than classify individuals as "illegal" or "alien."
The article quotes from Dean Johnson's paper "'Aliens' and the U.S. Immigration Laws: The Social and Legal Construction of Nonpersons" (published in The University of Miami Inter-American Law Review in 1996) in describing how the term "alien" has been used to define and exclude foreign nationals viewed as undesirable.
"The concept of the alien has... subtle social consequences... [I]t helps to reinforce and strengthen nativist sentiment toward members of new immigrant groups, which in turn influences U.S. responses to immigration and human rights issues," wrote Dean Johnson.
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.
"'Aliens' and the U.S. Immigration Laws: The Social and Legal Construction of Nonpersons"