Dean Johnson Comments on UC Davis AB 540 & Undocumented Student Center for Lawdragon.com
Dean Kevin R. Johnson commented on the recently opened UC Davis AB 540 & Undocumented Student Center for Lawdragon.com, a legal media company that provides free online news and features. As part of a partnership that is the first of its kind in the University of California system, the Center will work with the UC Davis School of Law Immigration Law Clinic to provide legal services for undocumented students and their families.
"As far as I know, this is the only relationship in which an immigration clinic at a law school guarantees representation to a university's undergraduates," Johnson said. "The idea is to offer a full array of legal services depending on what they need, and we'll see what comes in the door in the future, and we'll respond."
The articles notes that as many as 24,000 undocumented students graduate from California high schools each year.
"It seems to me that undocumented students are going to be part of our student body for years, if not generations, to come," Johnson said. "The question, and it's an important one, is how do we best serve their needs and ensure that they're feeling included in an overall community?"
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.