California Republicans tell Trump ICE raids should focus on criminals, not ordinary workers
State Sen. Suzette Valladares (R-Santa Clarita) led the Republican coalition in sending the letter asking that Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security alter their enforcement tactics, which the politicians say are leading to the arrest of non-criminal migrants and labor shortages that are worsening the state's affordability crisis.
"The recent ICE workplace raids on farms, at construction sites, and in restaurants and hotels, have led to unintended consequences that are harming the communities we represent and the businesses that employ our constituents," wrote the Republicans. "We have heard from employers in our districts that recent ICE raids are not only targeting undocumented workers, but also creating widespread fear among other employees, including those with legal immigration status.
"We urge you to direct ICE and DHS to focus their enforcement operations on criminal immigrants, and when possible to avoid the kinds of sweeping raids that instill fear and disrupt the workplace," they added.
Read more: Most nabbed in L.A. raids were men with no criminal conviction, picked up off the street
From June 1 to 10, ICE data show that 722 people were arrested in the Los Angeles region, according to figures obtained by the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley Law.
A Times analysis found that 69% of those arrested during that period had no criminal conviction, and 58% had never been charged with a crime. Many of the raids were executed in open-air locations, such as car washes, Home Depot parking lots and street-vending spots. DHS said that from June 6 to 22, more than 1,600 immigrants were detained for deportation in Southern California but did not provide information on the number of those arrested who had criminal histories.
Members of both the L.A. City Council and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors have said they are exploring legal avenues to prevent federal agents from unlawfully stopping, questioning or detaining individuals without reasonable suspicion — arguing that the ongoing raids are unconstitutionally based on the racial profiling of people in open-air locations.
In the letter to the president, the Republican coalition say that the fear spread by ICE raids is exacerbating an already tight labor market. They also ask Trump to expand and streamline H-2A and H-2B visa programs to authorize more legal guest workers to enter the country to make it easier for employees to get the workers they need.
"From construction to hospitality to food processing, California's employers are struggling to fill positions," the Republicans wrote. "Legal, temporary labor should be easier to access and better tailored to support a strong California economy."
Read more: Farms, hotels and restaurants press Trump to exempt their businesses from immigration raids
The coalition further urges the Trump administration to focus on modernizing the immigration system to allow non-criminal immigrants who have lived in local communities for years a pathway toward legal status.
The letter is signed by Valladares; Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R-Santee) and Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa), as well as members of the state Assembly Heath Flora (R-Ripon), Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) and Laurie Davies (R-Oceanside).
The White House did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment.
The letter makes it clear that the six Republicans blame Democrats for enabling the mass entrance of illegal immigrants into the country and for killing Republican-authored bills in California that would allow local government to work with federal immigration authorities to deport criminals who are in this country illegally.
"Under the previous administration, over ten million illegal immigrants entered the United States — a reality that harms our communities, overwhelms government services, and hurts businesses and working Americans alike," they wrote.
The California Republicans say they fully support the Trump administration's effort to deport violent criminals and approve of his decision to federalize the National Guard to defend federal property and personnel from immigration-related unrest.
'Decades of failed policies have led us to the difficult situation we face today,' said Valladares in a statement on the letter. 'We are now urging the Administration to prioritize public safety, while advancing immigration and visa policies that strengthen our economy, secure our borders, and keep our communities safe.'
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Father of 3 Marines who was forcibly detained by immigration agents speaks out
An undocumented father of three Marines who was forcibly detained by federal immigration agents while at his landscaping job in California last month spoke out for the first time on Friday in emotional, tearful remarks. Customs and Border Patrol agents arrested Narciso Barranco in Santa Ana on June 21, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Video of him being forcibly detained showed masked agents holding him down on the street and repeatedly punching him after he ran from agents. He is currently out on bond after being released from federal custody on July 15 and has an immigration status hearing in August, according to Orange City Council officials. During a press conference in Santa Ana surrounded by local officials and leaders, Barranco thanked the community and his family for their support. "I love you all and I am very proud of you," he said to his children in Spanish. To his wife, Marta, he said, "Thank you for your strength, love, and for never stopping believing in me." MORE: Marine veteran addresses Congress after father forcibly detained by immigration agents Barranco also spoke to the families of other detainees he met while in custody. "I want to tell their families they have faith, they miss you all, and even in that place, they have hope," he said. Barranco asked of federal authorities, "Please, don't take away the opportunities for them to reunite with their families." Lisa Ramirez, a founding partner of US Immigration Law Group and Barranco's legal representative, said his story is not an isolated case. "What I think we can all learn from this one story is that there are hundreds and soon to be millions of people like Mr. Barranco who have been long-standing contributors to our country, who will also be arbitrarily arrested and detained," she said. The Department of Homeland Security said following the arrest that Narciso Barranco is in the country illegally and that he tried to evade law enforcement, "swung a weed whacker directly at an agent's face" and resisted commands. "The agents took appropriate action and followed their training to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve the situation in a manner that prioritizes the safety of the public and our officers," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement at the time. MORE: Millions of undocumented immigrants will no longer be eligible for bond hearings, according to ICE memo One of Barranco's sons, Marine veteran Alejandro Barranco, told Congress members this week that his father got scared after the masked agents approached him while he was at work. "As he worked, he noticed masked men approaching him, and was quickly surrounded by men who did not identify themselves and never presented any type of warrant," he told Democratic members of the House Committee on Homeland Security during an oversight forum examining the Trump administration's detention and deportation practices on Tuesday. "Terrified, he ran. They chased him through the parking lot and into a crowded street. They pointed guns at him, pepper-sprayed him. They tackled him to the ground and kicked him." He said his father, who has two other sons who are currently serving as Marines, has no criminal record and "should have never been attacked by these agents." "He supported his family and paid taxes," the veteran said. "He is a human being, but he was not treated with the basic dignity he deserved."
CBS News
14 minutes ago
- CBS News
Federal judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit over Illinois sanctuary laws
A U.S. district court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against the state of Illinois and multiple jurisdictions over their sanctuary laws. Illinois signed the Trust Act into law in 2017 under Republican governor Bruce Rauner, instructing state and local law enforcement not to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in cases of civil immigration enforcement activities. The act does not prohibit law enforcement from cooperating with ICE for cases involving a criminal warrant or other court order. In the decision, the judge granted Illinois' motion to dismiss on the basis that the Trump administration "lacks standing to sue them with the respect to the Sanctuary Policies." The judge also dismissed a lawsuit against the Cook County Board of Commissioners because it's not a separate entity from Cook County in such a way to make it suable. The lawsuit was dismissed in its entirety without prejudice, and the Trump administration can amend its complaint and file again by a separate, undisclosed date, the ruling said. The judge said if an amended lawsuit is not filed by that date, this one will convert to being dismissed with prejudice. Gov. JB Pritzker responded to the lawsuit's dismissal on social media, posting, "Illinois just beat the Trump Administration in federal court. Their case challenging the bipartisan TRUST Act was dismissed — unlike the President, we follow the law and listen to the courts." In a further statement from the governor's office, Pritzker added, "This court ruling shows what we already knew: Illinois' law has always been and still is compliant with federal law. Illinois ensures law enforcement time and energy is spent fighting crime -- not carrying out the Trump Administration's unlawful policies or troubling tactics." The White House has not issued a statement or released any comment in reaction to the court's decision.
Fox News
14 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship blocked by another federal appeals judge in latest ruling
A federal appeals judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump's plan to end birthright citizenship for the children of people in the country illegally or temporarily. U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled that a nationwide injunction on the Trump administration's effort to end birthright citizenship that he issued earlier this year and that was granted to more than a dozen states can stand. Sorokin said the ruling was an exception to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that limited lower courts' ability to issue nationwide injunctions. The issue is expected to return to the Supreme Court. Trump and the administration "are entitled to pursue their interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment, and no doubt the Supreme Court will ultimately settle the question," Sorokin wrote in his ruling. "But in the meantime, for purposes of this lawsuit at this juncture, the Executive Order is unconstitutional." The Trump administration has argued that children born in the U.S. to parents in the country illegally and temporarily are not "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States and therefore not entitled to citizenship. Trump signed the birthright citizenship executive order, along with a slew of other orders, on his first day in office in January. On Wednesday, the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court of Appeals also affirmed the lower court's nationwide injunction, and, earlier this month, a New Hampshire federal judge issued a ruling prohibiting Trump's executive order from taking effect nationwide in a new class-action lawsuit. Sorokin disagreed with the Trump administration's argument that the Supreme Court's ruling warranted a narrower ruling. The plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit argued that Trump's executive order is unconstitutional because the 14th Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship, and it also threatens millions of dollars in state funding for "essential" health insurance services contingent on citizenship status.
