UC Berkeley class focuses on how ‘racial superiority’ shapes immigration law, anti-ICE rhetoric

A course promoting the "Abolish ICE" narrative and examining how concepts of "racial superiority" shape American immigration law will be offered at University of California, Berkeley, in spring 2026.

College and education news outlet Campus Reform obtained syllabi from two previous semesters of the undergraduate course, titled "Legal Studies 132AC: Immigration and Citizenship," revealing that the class explored American immigration law through the lens of far-left movements, including anti-ICE, racial justice and LGBTQ activism. 

"We often hear that America is a ‘nation of immigrants.’ But this representation of the United States does not explain why some are presumed to belong in the United States, and others are not," the spring 2024 syllabus stated.

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According to syllabi obtained by Campus Reform, UC Berkeley has been offering courses on immigration law that align with the Abolish ICE movement.  (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty)

It continued: "Why are non-White Latinos and Asian Americans so often considered ‘alien citizens,’ as American citizens who are nonetheless presumed to be foreign? And why are those of European descent assumed to belong, regardless of their citizenship?"

The course can be found on UC Berkeley’s website, which displays a similar description to the one on the syllabus.

It was taught in 2024 by Professor Christina Lee, who also serves as managing attorney at Immigrant Legal Defense, a nonprofit offering legal support to immigrant communities.

Lee was joined in spring 2025 by Professor Lisa Knox, an attorney and co-executive director of the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice — another nonprofit that provides legal support to detained immigrants. The group’s website features anti–ICE imagery.

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Anti-ICE protesters march in Chicago. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

Under the "Learning Objectives" section of the document, it stated that students will "Gain an understanding of the basic legal framework of American immigration law."

It added that students will also gain "an understanding of the ways in which ideas about race, gender, and sexuality have shaped U.S. immigration law and policies, through historical accounts of the specific experiences of Asian-American, European American, Latinx, Native/Indigenous, and Black/Afro-descendant people in the U.S."

The spring 2025 course schedule included several examples of far-left–leaning material.

Class Two, titled, "Critical Race Theory and Polyculturalism," was set to delve into the questions, "What is critical race theory? How is it relevant to the study of immigration law? What is polyculturalism, and how does it differ from multiculturalism? How is it relevant to the study of immigration law?"

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A large group of illegal immigrants is seen from above in Texas near the Mexican border.  (Texas Department of Public Safety)

Another lecture, titled "Origins of Federal Immigration Law," asked, "How did ideas of race and ideas of racial superiority shape the emergence of federal immigration law? How does the legal classification of former slaves and Native Americans as ‘immigrants’ tell us about the early conception of citizenship in the U.S.?"

Class Ten analyzed immigration law through an LGBTQ lens. The syllabus asked: "How does federal immigration law define ‘family’? What types of families are protected and privileged under existing immigration laws? How does this framework impact LGBTQ and family structures that differ from dominant social norms?"

Class Sixteen focused on the "Abolish ICE" movement, asking, "What does Immigration and Customs Enforcement do? Why was it created, and how was its creation influenced by the post-9/11 political climate? What is the Abolish ICE movement, and what are its goals?" 

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A spokesperson for UC Berkeley did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.