SACRAMENTO, Calif. — More than two dozen members of the California Legislature are calling on the state’s Republican congressional delegation to pressure President Trump to end what they describe as indiscriminate immigration crackdowns harming the state’s economy and communities.
In a letter sent Wednesday, the lawmakers urged California’s GOP members of Congress to “request the President to end the crackdowns on hardworking, taxpaying immigrants in Southern California and throughout the state,” warning that the raids are sweeping up peaceful immigrants critical to California’s economic strength.
“These actions are causing significant harm to our economy,” the letter stated. While President Trump previously claimed he intended to target “undocumented immigrants who had committed violent crimes or were members of violent gangs,” the reality on the ground paints a different picture, according to the letter’s signatories.
They pointed to recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on businesses in Los Angeles and farms in California’s Central Valley, which they say have impacted peaceful, law-abiding immigrants. Reports from the Los Angeles Times and other outlets indicate the raids have stoked fear across immigrant communities, including among workers with no criminal history.
According to the lawmakers, the consequences could be far-reaching.
“A new study found that federal policies focused on deportations could cost California an estimated $275 billion in GDP output in wages and other direct and indirect economic activity,” the letter said. “Based on direct wage contributions alone, undocumented workers generate nearly 5% of California’s GDP.”
The lawmakers also highlighted data showing undocumented immigrants pay approximately $8.5 billion in taxes annually—while often being excluded from the public services their taxes help fund.
Immigrants make up more than one in four residents in California, with nearly 11 million immigrants across the state. Of those, about 1.8 million are undocumented. Nearly three-quarters of undocumented Californians have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years, and nearly one-quarter are homeowners.
“The vast majority of these folks contribute positively to California’s economy and way of life,” the letter emphasized. “They are not violent criminal gang members.”
Citing analysis from the conservative American Enterprise Institute, the lawmakers noted that foreign-born workers are critical to the labor force in California, where roughly one in three jobs is held by someone born outside the United States. Immigration has long supported key industries in the state, including construction, tech, agriculture, hospitality, and healthcare.
The letter also referenced reporting from The Wall Street Journal, which described a strategic shift behind the raids. After internal complaints about low deportation numbers, senior Trump advisor Stephen Miller allegedly instructed ICE to ramp up arrests without focusing on violent offenders. According to the letter, Miller directed agents to “just go out there and arrest illegal aliens,” and to target places like Home Depot and 7-Eleven—locations where day laborers and low-wage workers often gather.
Some Republican members of Congress have privately expressed concern over the scale and scope of the enforcement actions. The California legislators said they are “heartened” by those voices and hope more will speak out.
“It is our hope that cooler heads will prevail,” the lawmakers wrote, “and that as members of the California Republican Congressional Delegation you will urge the President to stop all immigration crackdowns that ensnare hardworking, taxpaying immigrants.”
The letter was signed by Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire, incoming Senate leader Monique Limón, and more than 30 other state senators and assemblymembers.
