In a letter to President Trump, six Republicans from the California Legislature urged him to concentrate his immigration crackdown on violent criminals, claiming that the massive ongoing raids are causing widespread fear in their communities and forcing workers out of vital industries.
The Republican coalition, led by State Senator Suzette Valladares (R-Santa Clarita), sent the letter requesting that the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement change their enforcement strategies, which the politicians claim are resulting in the arrest of law-abiding migrants and labor shortages that are exacerbating the state’s affordability crisis.
According to the Republicans, the recent ICE worksite raids on farms, construction sites, restaurants, and hotels have had unforeseen implications that are hurting the areas we represent and the companies that hire our people. Employers in our districts have informed us that recent ICE raids are causing widespread panic among other employees, including those with legal immigration status, in addition to targeting undocumented workers.
We implore you to instruct ICE and DHS to concentrate their enforcement efforts on criminal immigrants and, wherever feasible, to steer clear of the types of broad raids that cause anxiety and disturb the work environment, they continued.
California
Data contradicts the Trump administration’s assertion that the sweeps were intended for criminals.
ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley Law indicate that 722 persons were apprehended in the Los Angeles region between June 1 and June 10.
According to a Times investigation, 58% of people detained during that time had never been charged with a crime, and 69% had no previous convictions. Street vendors, Home Depot parking lots, and car washes were among the open spaces where many of the raids were conducted. DHS stated that over 1,600 aliens were detained for deportation in Southern California between June 6 and June 22, although it did not specify how many of those arrested had criminal history.
Members of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and the L.A. City Council have stated that they are looking into legal options to stop federal agents from illegally stopping, questioning, or detaining people without a reasonable suspicion. They claim that the current raids are unconstitutional because they use racial profiling of people in public places.
In the letter to the president, the Republican coalition claims that an already tight job market is being made worse by the fear that ICE raids are spreading. Additionally, they request that Trump broaden and simplify the H-2A and H-2B visa processes in order to allow more lawful foreign workers to enter the nation and facilitate the hiring of personnel that employers require.
The Republicans argued that California’s firms are having trouble filling jobs in industries including construction, hospitality, and food processing. Temporary, legal work ought to be more easily accessible and more specifically designed to sustain a robust California economy.
Company
companies are highlighting the value of their immigrant staff as uncertainty surrounds whether Trump would exclude farms and other companies from immigration raids.
Additionally, the group calls on the Trump administration to prioritize reforming the immigration system in order to provide a path to legal status for non-criminal immigrants who have long resided in the area.
Valladares, Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa), Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R-Santee), and representatives from the state Assembly Laurie Davies (R-Oceanside), Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach), and Heath Flora (R-Ripon) have all signed the letter.
A request for comment from The Times was not immediately answered by the White House.
The six Republicans clearly blame Democrats in the letter for allowing illegal immigrants to enter the country in large numbers and for blocking Republican-authored legislation in California that would have allowed local governments to collaborate with federal immigration authorities to deport criminals who are in the country illegally.
They argued that more than ten million illegal immigrants entered the country during the last administration, a situation that damages our neighborhoods, overburdens government services, and hurts both working Americans and companies.
The California Republicans said they fully back the Trump administration’s decision to federalize the National Guard in order to protect federal personnel and property from unrest connected to immigration, as well as his efforts to deport violent offenders.
In a comment on the letter, Valladares stated that the challenging circumstance we are in now is the result of decades of failed policies. In addition to promoting immigration and visa policies that boost our economy, protect our borders, and maintain community safety, we are now calling on the Administration to put public safety first.
