By Vanguard Staff
SACRAMENTO, CA – The California State Senate Democratic Caucus, led by Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast), walked out of the Senate chamber Thursday morning and gathered on the West Steps of the Capitol to denounce what they called an “authoritarian siege” by President Trump and the federal government.
Standing at what McGuire called “the steps of democracy,” Senate leaders condemned the federal government’s recent escalation of immigration enforcement across California, which has included the deployment of Marines, the federalization of National Guard troops, and aggressive ICE raids that have led to warrantless arrests and the separation of families.
“Enough is enough,” McGuire said, addressing the crowd and press. “There is no justification in a democracy for the un-American federal siege of California. Warrantless arrests. Federalizing the National Guard. Mobilizing federal troops on California soil. Racial profiling of American citizens. Detaining law-abiding residents. The lack of due process for detainees. Throwing U.S. Senators to the ground for speaking freely and threatening the arrest of American governors. These are the acts of an authoritarian government.”
The statement from California’s legislative leaders came just days after federal agents, operating under the Trump administration’s direction, carried out high-profile raids in Los Angeles, the Central Valley, and the Bay Area. Immigration rights advocates have warned that the current actions go far beyond routine enforcement, describing them as “a campaign of fear and intimidation” targeting California’s immigrant communities.
According to McGuire, the Senate’s actions Thursday morning were not just symbolic—they were a reaffirmation of California’s constitutional values and a message to the Trump administration that the state will resist any effort to undermine its laws and protections.
“California will not back down,” McGuire continued. “We will bend to no tyrant. And the people of California will prevail. The harder Trump comes at us, the more unified we’ll be. California will always be on the side of good, the side of justice, and the people will always win over the power of a few.”
Flanked by Senate Pro Tem Designee Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) and Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), the Senate delegation reaffirmed its commitment to immigrant rights, due process, and resistance to federal overreach.
Limón shared a harrowing story from her district in Ventura County, where 35 farm workers were detained earlier this week, leaving a 12-year-old child alone and without knowledge of his parents’ whereabouts.
“In Ventura and Oxnard, I saw one of the most untraditional alliances I’ve ever seen in my eight years here,” Limón said. “Immigrant rights organizations and farmworker advocates stood side-by-side with growers and the Farm Bureau—all saying the same thing: Stop. Enough is enough.”
She emphasized the emotional and economic toll these raids are taking across communities and underscored the moral responsibility of state leaders to both speak up and show up.
“It’s not just about raising our voices. It’s about standing physically, politically, and legislatively with our communities,” Limón said. “We will be the voice for those who are afraid or unable to speak.”
Senator Maria Elena Durazo, a longtime labor leader and immigrant rights advocate, offered a historical perspective, comparing the current crisis to civil rights struggles of the past. She denounced the deployment of federal troops to Los Angeles as an unprecedented and unconstitutional act of aggression.
“What we are seeing in Los Angeles is not law enforcement,” Durazo said. “It is an assault on the fundamental principles that define our democracy.”
Durazo, who has spent over three decades organizing nonviolent actions for immigrant justice, noted that not once had the movement required federal forces or martial responses.
“We’ve held actions with 25 people to over a million people—never once did we need what this administration is doing now. We organized with dignity, justice, and peace,” she said. “We will not be intimidated.”
Throughout the gathering, speakers pointed to California’s identity as a state shaped by immigrants. With over 10.6 million immigrants calling California home, they argued, federal policies that target immigrant communities are not just unjust—they strike at the heart of the state’s economy, its families, and its democracy.
McGuire noted the broader stakes of the moment.
“This is not just about immigration enforcement. It’s about authoritarianism versus democracy,” he said. “When U.S. senators are being thrown to the ground and governors threatened with arrest for speaking out, it’s not just our policies that are under attack—it’s our very form of government.”
At the end of the remarks, the Democratic Senators returned to the Senate floor to resume work on the state budget, but not before issuing a call to action for Californians to stay vigilant and engaged.
“We invite the public to join us in the gallery as we return to do the people’s work,” McGuire concluded. “But let it be known: California will continue to lead. We will defend the rights of every person who calls this state home. And we will stand as one against tyranny.”
As federal actions continue to escalate and communities brace for more arrests and potential detentions, immigrant advocacy organizations across the state have pledged to continue their mobilization efforts, knowing they have the support of the state legislature behind them.
