Immigrant Rights

Otto Santa Ana’s scholarship focuses on language that constructs social hierarchies and on how the mass media amplifies the construction of unjust social inequity. He has written two books that received national recognition, published 50 academic articles, often with undergrad co-authors, as well as a score of non-academic articles. He has three active research strands that cross…

Lecture Examines ICE Enforcement and Immigrant Rights

On February 5, the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI), Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, and UCLA Asian American Studies Center co-hosted “Nation of Immigrants: The Politics of ICE Enforcement,” bringing together policymakers, researchers, advocates, and students for a timely discussion about immigration enforcement in California and across the country. Part of the Luskin Lecture…

SCOTUS Opens Door to Racial Profiling in Immigration Enforcement

On September 8, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to resume immigration stops in the Los Angeles area using factors such as race, Spanish language use, and employment in certain industries as part of their justification. Statement from Amada Armenta, LPPI’s faculty director: “This week, the Supreme Court…

Statement on SCOTUS birthright citizenship ruling

On June 27, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6–3 decision allowing President Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship to take effect in states that did not challenge it in court. While the ruling did not decide whether the order itself is constitutional, it limits the ability of federal judges to block policies nationwide….

Statement on the ICE raids in Los Angeles

Statement from Amada Armenta, faculty director at the Latino Policy and Politics Institute: “The recent ICE raids carried out in Los Angeles— followed by the arrest of protestors and the unilateral deployment of the National Guard—are an unconscionable use of state power to terrorize immigrant communities and their allies. These actions do not make us…

Unaccompanied Children Are Under Attack, Again

This blog is a submission by the Community Justice Alliance (CJA), a legal services nonprofit seeking to advance racial justice and immigrant rights in California’s Central Valley. Years after the public outcry over family separations, we are once again witnessing a resurgence of punitive tactics that endanger the safety and due process rights of tens…

Debunking Myths About Latinos and Medicaid

This post is based on an interview conducted by KFF Health News, which published an article on March 17, 2025. The KFF article is also available in Spanish. Medicaid is a critical lifeline for millions of Americans, providing health coverage to low-income individuals and families. However, persistent myths about Latinos and Medicaid continue to fuel…

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