A group of six California Republican state lawmakers is urging President Donald Trump to ease up on immigration enforcement and support a pathway to legal status for non-criminal undocumented immigrants.
In a letter sent to the president, the lawmakers asked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to avoid “sweeping raids” that they say are creating fear in workplaces and disrupting the economy.
“We have heard from employers in our districts that recent ICE raids are not only targeting undocumented workers but also causing widespread fear among other employees, including those with legal immigration status,” the lawmakers wrote. “We urge you to direct ICE and DHS to focus enforcement efforts on criminal immigrants and, when possible, to avoid large-scale raids that disrupt businesses.”
The letter was signed by state Sen. Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-San Diego, who recently authored a bill (ultimately blocked in committee) that would have required state prisons and jails to notify federal immigration officials when inmates convicted of serious or violent crimes are about to be released. California law currently limits such cooperation to a narrow range of offenses.
The Republicans called on Trump to lead the charge to modernize the immigration system, specifically requesting a legal path for undocumented immigrants without criminal records who have deep roots in their communities.
“America needs an immigration system that balances compassion and lawfulness — one that protects national sovereignty while also reflecting the realities on the ground,” they wrote. “The last Republican president to successfully address this issue was Ronald Reagan nearly four decades ago. It’s time to finish what he started.”
President Reagan’s 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act legalized around 3 million undocumented immigrants who had lived in the U.S. since before 1982. No Republican presidential candidate has won California since 1988.
The lawmakers also pushed for reforms to the H-2A and H-2B visa programs, calling for expanded access to legal guest workers across industries beyond agriculture.
“From construction and hospitality to food processing, California’s employers are struggling to fill critical positions,” the letter said. “We urge you to expand and streamline the H-2A and H-2B visa programs to better serve our economy.”
According to the American Farm Bureau, the federal government issued roughly 384,900 H-2A agricultural visas last year. The H-2B program for non-agricultural seasonal work remains capped at 66,000 visas annually.
Despite the state’s 5.3% unemployment rate in May — representing 1.1 million jobless Californians — the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 659,000 job openings in the state as of March, suggesting nearly two unemployed residents for every available job.
The letter was led by Sen. Suzette Valladares, R-Santa Clarita, and co-signed by Sens. Jones, Rosilicie Ochoa-Bogh, R-Yucaipa, and Assemblymembers Heath Flora, R-Ripon; Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach; and Laurie Davies, R-Laguna Niguel.
