Immigration & the Trump administration
74 pts apartCalifornia has more immigrants than any other state and a 'sanctuary' law that limits how far state and local police assist federal immigration agents. The candidates divide over whether the next governor should resist the Trump administration's immigration enforcement or cooperate with it.
Last updated June 8, 2026
How would each handle immigration and Washington?
- Xavier Becerra (14/100) — A concrete record of suing to block Trump immigration policy, a refusal to help ICE, and a defense of the sanctuary law place him firmly on the resist-and-protect end; nudged off the floor because he declines to abolish ICE and separates criminal from non-criminal cases.
- Steve Hilton (88/100) — He opposes the sanctuary law as unconstitutional, pledges not to obstruct federal enforcement, endorses Trump's deportation strategy, and blames sanctuary policy for the LA unrest — near the cooperate-and-enforce pole, held short of the ceiling because he frames immigration as a federal matter and champions legal immigration.
The situation in California
About 10.9 million immigrants live in California, roughly 27% of the state's residents and the highest foreign-born share of any state; an estimated 2.3 million are undocumented, also the most of any state. Since 2018 the California Values Act has barred state and local police from using their resources for most federal immigration enforcement. In 2025 that policy collided with the Trump administration: ICE arrests across California rose sharply after May, federal agents ran high-profile raids in Los Angeles, and President Trump deployed National Guard troops and Marines to the city over Governor Gavin Newsom's objection. California sued the federal government over the deployment.
- ~10.9 million
- Immigrants in California
- ~2.3 million
- Undocumented immigrants
- ~33%
- Immigrant share of workforce
- ~120
- Becerra lawsuits vs. first Trump term
- ~4,700
- Troops sent to Los Angeles (2025)
- 69% disapprove
- Californians on Trump immigration enforcement
About 27% of all residents are foreign-born — the highest share of any state and nearly double the U.S. average.
2023 estimate, the most of any state, and down from a peak of roughly 2.8 million in 2007.
Immigrants were about a third of California's employed workers in 2024.
As attorney general (2017–2021); his campaign and CapRadio put the total at 122.
About 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines, federalized over Governor Newsom's objection during the June 2025 immigration raids.
Against 29% who approve, in a statewide Berkeley IGS poll taken in August 2025.
California has the highest immigrant share of any state
Share of residents who are foreign-born, 2023 (Census ACS); top states vs. U.S. average
About 27% of Californians were born abroad, nearly double the U.S. average of 14.3% (dashed line) and the highest share of any state. Figures are the Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey.
ICE arrests in California climbed sharply after May 2025
ICE arrests per day in California, 2025 (Deportation Data Project via Prison Policy Initiative)
ICE made about 4,400 arrests in California in the four months after Inauguration Day, then about 15,500 over the next five months. Because the two windows differ in length, the bars show arrests per day, which nearly tripled. Counts come from ICE records released to the Deportation Data Project. Arrests in the Los Angeles area later fell in early 2026.
Per resident, California's arrest rate trailed Texas and Florida
ICE arrests per 100,000 residents, May–October 2025 (Deportation Data Project / Prison Policy Initiative)
Among the three states with the largest immigrant populations, California had the lowest arrest rate per resident over the post-May 2025 enforcement window. Much of the gap is in jail-based arrests: California's sanctuary law limits how far county jails hand people to ICE, so more of its arrests happened in the community than in custody. The rates are Prison Policy Initiative's per-capita figures, calculated the same way for every state so the three are directly comparable.
What's been tried
California has spent years building legal protections for immigrants. The California Values Act (SB 54), signed in 2017, limits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents, and the state has funded legal aid for immigrants facing deportation. As California attorney general from 2017 to 2021, Becerra sued the first Trump administration roughly 120 times, including suits to defend DACA and the sanctuary law. When federal enforcement surged in 2025, the state added money for litigation and immigrant legal defense and went back to court over the deployment of troops to Los Angeles. There are limits to what a governor can do: immigration enforcement is mainly a federal power, and ICE can operate in California regardless of state law.
Where they differ
The clearest contrasts, sub-issue by sub-issue.
| Sub-issue | Becerra (D) | Hilton (R) |
|---|---|---|
| The sanctuary law (SB 54) | Defend and keep it; he won the 2018 case upholding it as attorney general. | Calls it unconstitutional; would use its discretionary clause to let local police cooperate with ICE. |
| Helping ICE | Refuse to turn state and local police into immigration agents. | Won't obstruct federal enforcement; says the laws on the books must be enforced. |
| The Trump administration | Partner where possible, sue when necessary (sued the first term ~120 times as AG). | Trump-endorsed; wants a cooperative relationship with Washington. |
| 2025 LA raids & troop deployment | Opposed the deployment; stresses documenting abuses and limiting masked agents. | Faulted California's sanctuary politics, not the federal operation, for the unrest. |
| Benefits for undocumented immigrants | Protect health coverage and services for immigrants. | Opposes taxpayer-funded health care for undocumented immigrants. |
| Legal vs. illegal immigration | Defends Dreamers and immigrant communities broadly. | Champions legal immigration; casts himself as 'the candidate of the legal immigrant community.' |
Side by side
Xavier BecerraD · DemocratDefend California's sanctuary law, refuse to help ICE, and fight the Trump administration in court.
Becerra has made opposition to the Trump administration the organizing theme of his campaign, and immigration sits at its center. He points to his record as attorney general, when by his count he sued the first Trump administration 122 times, including to defend DACA and the California Values Act. As governor he says he would not turn state and local police into immigration agents, summed up in his line 'We will police the immigration police,' and would defend the sanctuary law rather than repeal or expand it. He casts the federal relationship as cooperation where possible and litigation where necessary, telling one forum the state would 'partner with them where we must.' On the 2025 enforcement surge he emphasizes documentation, saying 'the best way to stop the abuse is to document it,' and he has praised California's new law restricting masked federal agents as a tool against overreach. He says he would try to 'move away from' privately owned immigration detention in the state, while acknowledging the state's limited authority. He has not joined calls to abolish ICE, and he distinguishes immigrants with criminal records from those without.
- Says he sued the first Trump administration 122 times as attorney general, including to defend DACA and the sanctuary law
- Would not use state or local police for federal immigration enforcement: 'We will police the immigration police'
- Would defend the California Values Act, citing the 2018 case he won upholding it
- Frames Washington as 'partner with them where we must,' and fight when necessary
- On the 2025 surge, emphasizes documenting ICE conduct and praises the state's new limit on masked federal agents
- Would try to move California away from privately owned immigration detention; has not joined calls to abolish ICE
- Reported: Becerra has no standalone immigration platform page; his positions here are drawn from his 'Fighting Donald Trump' campaign page, debate and interview statements, and his record as attorney general.
- Reported: The lawsuit count varies by source and method: his campaign and CapRadio say 122, he has also said 'over 120,' and some outlets count roughly 110.
- Reported: Whether he would expand sanctuary protections beyond defending current law is not spelled out; he commits to defending SB 54 and refusing cooperation.
Sources
- Candidate statementCalifornia Front-Runner Becerra Says State Won't 'Take a Knee' to Trump— American Community Media · June 1, 2026
“partner with them where we must”
Accessed June 8, 2026 - Campaign sitePriorities: Fighting Donald Trump— Xavier Becerra for Governor (campaign site) · January 1, 2026
“From defending Dreamers”
Accessed June 8, 2026 - Candidate statementXavier Becerra makes his case for California's Governor in media briefing— caloNews · May 28, 2026
“move away from having any facilities that are privately owned detention facilities located in California”
Accessed June 8, 2026 - Candidate statementGubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra addresses issues affecting Latinos in media roundtable— caloNews · October 8, 2025
“The best way to stop the abuse is to document it”
Accessed June 8, 2026 - News reportCalifornia Attorney General Files Nine Lawsuits In One Day As Trump Leaves Office— CapRadio · January 19, 2021
“a grand total of 122 lawsuits against the Trump administration”
Accessed June 8, 2026 - Candidate statementCalifornia governor candidates call for ICE to be abolished in 1st debate— KTVU FOX 2 · February 3, 2026
“We will police the immigration police”
Accessed June 8, 2026 - Voting recordAttorney General Becerra Leads DACA Lawsuit Against Trump Administration— California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General · September 11, 2017
“we fight for them”
Accessed June 8, 2026 - Voting recordAttorney General Becerra Secures Dismissal of the Federal Government's Claims Against California in USA v. California— California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General · July 9, 2018
“safeguard the privacy, safety, and constitutional rights of all our people”
Accessed June 8, 2026
Steve HiltonR · RepublicanCooperate with federal enforcement, treat the sanctuary law as unconstitutional, and back Trump's approach.
Hilton runs as a Trump ally who treats immigration enforcement as mainly a federal job the state should not block. 'All the laws must be peacefully enforced, and we will not obstruct the implementation of federal immigration law,' he has said, adding that immigration policy 'is not a responsibility of the governor.' He calls the California Values Act unconstitutional and says he would rely on the law's clause allowing local cooperation rather than try to repeal it outright. He praised the Trump administration's strategy of deporting serious offenders first as 'exactly right' and welcomed Trump's endorsement. When arrests and protests roiled Los Angeles in 2025, he faulted California's sanctuary law and what he called 'the demonization of ICE' rather than the federal operation. Hilton draws a sharp line between legal and illegal immigration, casting himself as 'the candidate of the legal immigrant community' and opposing state-funded health care for undocumented immigrants.
- Would not block federal enforcement: 'we will not obstruct the implementation of federal immigration law'
- Says immigration policy 'is not a responsibility of the governor' but a federal one
- Calls the California Values Act unconstitutional; would use its discretionary clause to let local police cooperate with ICE
- Praised Trump's deport-serious-offenders-first strategy as 'exactly right' and welcomed Trump's endorsement
- Blamed California's sanctuary politics and 'the demonization of ICE,' not federal agents, for the 2025 Los Angeles unrest
- Champions legal immigration as 'the candidate of the legal immigrant community'; opposes taxpayer-funded health care for undocumented immigrants
- Reported: Hilton's campaign site has no dedicated immigration page; his positions here come from interviews, briefings, and news reports rather than a written policy document.
- Reported: A governor cannot unilaterally repeal the California Values Act; Hilton says he would rely on the law's discretionary-cooperation provision and on working with federal authorities.
- Reported: His claim that the sanctuary law is unconstitutional refers to a legal challenge; courts upheld the law against a 2018 federal lawsuit, which Becerra's office defended.
Sources
- Candidate statement'Restore the Ladder of Opportunity': Steve Hilton Vows Affordability, Immigration Compliance— American Community Media · May 25, 2026
“the candidate of the legal immigrant community”
Accessed June 8, 2026 - News reportGOP CA Governor Hopeful Steve Hilton Says He Won't Freeze Out ICE— Breitbart · May 26, 2026
“we will not obstruct the implementation of federal immigration law”
Accessed June 8, 2026 - Campaign siteSteve Hilton for California Governor: official campaign site— Steve Hilton for Governor (campaign site) · January 1, 2026
“they will be caught, prosecuted and convicted”
Accessed June 8, 2026 - News reportHilton slams Dems after migrant allegedly rams fed vehicles, warns rhetoric fueling 'dangerous conditions'— Fox News · October 23, 2025
“the demonization of ICE”
Accessed June 8, 2026 - Candidate statementSteve Hilton is in lockstep with Trump on immigration policy— NBC 7 San Diego · April 8, 2026
“is exactly right”
Accessed June 8, 2026
What changed
- added
Initial build: sourced background on California's immigrant population and the 2025 state–federal clash over enforcement, three charts (immigrant share by state, the 2025 arrest surge, and arrests per resident vs. Texas and Florida), plus Becerra and Hilton positions on sanctuary policy, ICE cooperation, and the Trump administration.