Tom K. Wong

Tom K. Wong is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Founding Director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Center (USIPC) at UC San Diego. He holds a PhD in Political Science from UC Riverside (2011), specializing in comparative politics, immigration policy, and human rights. His research focuses on immigration politics, citizenship, migrant illegality, and their intersections with race, ethnicity, and national identity.

Wong served as an advisor to the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (Obama administration) and was appointed to California’s 2020 Census Complete Count Committee. He is Co-Director of the Human Rights and Migration program and a board member of the California Immigrant Policy Center. His work has informed federal lawsuits defending DACA, ending family separation at the U.S.-Mexico border, and opposing indefinite child detention.

Wong has been featured in major media including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and NPR. He consults on large-scale political campaigns, specializing in mobilizing low-propensity voters of color and immigrant communities. He leads evaluations for civic engagement programs funded by the Four Freedoms and RISE Together Funds.