This recap is cross-posted from the CK Now blog

On October 10, we invited Professor Jack Chin of UC Davis School of Law to share research from his book Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965: Legislating a New America.

Looking over the history of immigration, he contrasted narratives of white nationalism with civil rights reforms that reduced racial discrimination in American citizenship.

Professor Chin has been actively engaged with immigration and racial discrimination on many levels. His previous scholarship has been cited by the Supreme Court and he’s been working with students to repeal old Jim Crow laws in states that continue to justify discrimination.

He noted the urgency of addressing white nationalism and immigration in our current political context. He described the Trump administration as “one of the most anti-immigrant,” as exemplified by quotes from speeches during the 2016 presidential campaign, family separation policies that aimed to discourage refugees, and other policy changes directed against legal immigrants.