SACRAMENTO, CA – Recent polling data indicates that a growing majority of Californians oppose mass deportations and support local and state efforts to protect undocumented immigrants, ICE Out of California (IOOCA) reports.
According to new polling from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), released on Feb. 26, 72 percent of California adults and 70 percent of likely voters believe that immigrants are a benefit to the state. This marks a significant increase from February 2024, when only 60 percent of adults held this view, IOOCA reported.
The PPIC data also found that 63 percent of adults and 62 percent of likely voters favor state and local governments creating their own policies to protect undocumented immigrants’ legal rights, separate from federal policies, IOOCA stated.
Concerns over deportations remain high, particularly among Latinos (64 percent), Californians with only a high school diploma (56 percent), Democrats (54 percent), individuals aged 35 or under (53 percent), and Los Angeles residents (53 percent), IOOCA reported.
A separate Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics/The Hill survey conducted earlier this month found that 56 percent of California voters believe mass deportations would be harmful to the state, but 44 percent believe they would be beneficial, IOOCA noted.
Meanwhile, a UC Irvine OC Poll from January 2025 found that only one-third of Orange County residents support mass deportations, while nearly 60 percent prefer an option for undocumented immigrants to obtain legal status, IOOCA said.
The polling results come amid growing concerns over the potential impact of Trump’s deportation policies, said IOOCA, noting in an op-ed published by the San Francisco Chronicle, emergency room physician Dr. Theresa Cheng described how fear of deportation has already begun affecting patient care.
“I’m afraid for my patients,” she wrote, recounting a case in which a 21-year-old man refused emergency treatment after being injured, fearing the consequences of seeking medical care.
California’s Sanctuary State Law, which aims to limit state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, provides a minimum standard of protection for Californians, but advocates argue that additional protections are needed, IOOCA said.
On the first day of the legislative session in December 2024, IOOCA organized a 500-person rally in Sacramento, where advocates urged state lawmakers to ensure that “not one cent” of California taxpayer dollars is used for mass deportations and demanded stronger protections to keep families together, IOOCA reported.
And, according to IOOCA, community leaders also pointed out that profits for private prison corporations have skyrocketed since November, further fueling concerns the push for mass deportations is financially motivated, IOOCA stated.
