How will California respond to Trump's immigration strategy?

By Ryan FonsecaStaff Writer

Nov. 19, 2024 6:30 AM PT

Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

How will California respond to Trump’s immigration strategy?
Los Angeles rezoning plan won’t spur enough new housing, report finds.
Tell us: What’s your favorite walk in L.A.?
And here’s today’s e-newspaper.

California braces for Trump’s deportation strategy

No matter how you feel about Donald Trump, there’s consensus about at least one thing: He’s not cryptic. The president-elect has been straightforward about what he plans to do once he’s back in the White House.

One of his key campaign promises was to carry out the “largest deportation operation in American history.” Trump and his acolytes have made it clear which undocumented residents they’ll be targeting: all of them.

“No one’s off the table,” Tom Homan, who’s set to become Trump’s “border czar” next year, said at the Republican National Convention in July. “If you’re in the country illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder.”

Trump has been floating the idea of deploying National Guard troops through orders from supportive state governors to assist in those operations.

This week, Trump confirmed (in an all-caps reply on his Truth Social platform) that he plans to declare a national emergency and activate the military to carry out his efforts.

“[Trump] said he would go after at least 15 million people who are in the U.S. illegally, though the total number of undocumented immigrants is probably lower,” Times reporter Andrea Castillo wrote Monday. “During his last presidency, Trump deported about 1.5 million immigrants, according to a Migration Policy Institute analysis of federal figures, which the Biden administration is on pace to match.”

California is home to more than 10 million foreign-born people, including roughly 1.8 million undocumented residents as of 2022, according to Pew Research Center. Both of those figures represent the largest in the nation, though California was the only state that saw the population of undocumented immigrants decrease in 2022, Pew reported.

The human toll that militarized mass deportations could exact on families and communities has become an existential concern in California and beyond as immigrant and civil rights groups mobilize to challenge Trump’s policies.

More than 6 million households — nearly 5% of the nation’s total — include one or more undocumented immigrants, according to Pew Research Center. California has the second-highest number of such households, just behind Nevada. Roughly 4.4 million U.S.-born children live with an unauthorized immigrant parent, researchers reported.

“As we ready litigation and create firewalls for freedom across blue states, we must also sound the alarm that what’s on the horizon will change the very nature of American life for tens of millions of Americans,” Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement.

There’s also the economic toll, which could be devastating, my colleague Fidel Martinez explained in his Latinx Files newsletter last month. He cited a report by pro-migration advocacy group American Immigration Council, which found the country’s gross domestic product could shrink by more than a trillion dollars if mass deportations are implemented.

It shouldn’t come as a shock that the labor market in California and many other states relies considerably on immigrants, who fill the ranks of major industries including agriculture, construction and hospitality. And the recent surge in immigration (both legal and illegal) has lifted the Golden State’s economy, federal data show.

“For all the anti-immigrant rhetoric, the reality is this country needs undocumented workers and will continue to do so for decades to come as more of the U.S. population ages out of the workforce,” Fidel wrote. “But will America’s appetite for cheap exploitable labor be outweighed by the dehumanizing contempt it has for the people who provide it?”

California has enshrined protections for undocumented immigrants. Back in 2017, then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California Values Act (SB 54), which banned state and local law enforcement agencies from assisting in any federal immigration enforcement.

Today’s state Democratic leaders and immigrant rights organizations are prepping for four more years of legal combat against Trump’s federal government.

Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a preemptive strike earlier this month when he called a special session of the Legislature to boost the state’s legal funding. State Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta began strategizing months ago how to respond to a Trump victory, prepping for a potential barrage of civil rights lawsuits, including on immigration.

Bonta has acknowledged that while California’s government can provide legal assistance and ensure due process, state officials have no direct power to protect people who are in the country illegally from being deported.

Today’s top stories

A photo of homes in Los Angeles with the downtown in the background.

Los Angeles’ rezoning plan won’t spur enough new housing, a report found

A plan to reshape the city and help build more than 250,000 new homes will fall far short of its goal, according to UCLA researchers who analyzed the likelihood of what developers would actually build.
The analysis comes as a City Council committee is expected to take a vote on the rezoning plan on Tuesday. The full council and state housing regulators also must sign off on the plans before a February deadline.

LAUSD vows to protect immigrant and LGBTQ+ students during Trump’s second term

The Los Angeles school board on Tuesday is moving quickly to reaffirm the nation’s second-largest school system as a sanctuary for immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community and to propose a new high school course delving into current political events.
Teachers throughout California are shielded from retaliation for supporting transgender student rights under a bill signed by Newsom in July.

California will get its first big atmospheric river of the season

A strong atmospheric river storm is headed for Northern California, with some areas under flood and high wind watches starting Tuesday.
Some light rain could reach Southern California by the weekend, but it probably won’t be enough to eliminate any wildfire threat through the end of the year.

Has nuclear power entered a new era of acceptance amid global warming?

Public support for nuclear power is the highest its been in more than a decade as the nation struggles to reduce its reliance on planet-warming fossil fuels.
Many young nuclear advocates hope the renewed interest will fuel a second renaissance in nuclear power, one that helps California, the U.S. and the globe meet ambitious climate goals.

What else is going on

A search of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ cell uncovered a witness-tampering plot, prosecutors allege.
California retained the No. 1 ranking for international student enrollment as concerns grow over Trump.
Carrots from a Bakersfield farm sicken dozens across the U.S.
A woman sent a cryptic message, missed a flight from LAX and then disappeared, her family said.
A Betty White postage stamp will be released in 2025.

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Commentary and opinions

What’s missing from the Latino vote debate? The voice of Latinas, writes Sonja Diaz, a civil rights attorney and co-founder of the Latina Futures 2050 Lab.
Trump’s worst Cabinet picks aren’t just unqualified, they’re part of a bigger power grab, columnist Doyle McManus writes.
California’s most neglected group of students with special needs are the gifted ones, editorial board member Karin Klein argues.
This voice coach has become a “spiritual guru” to Hollywood’s biggest stars, columnist Mary McNamara writes.

This morning’s must reads

An aerial view of firefighters battling flames on a smoking lot with prop cars parked nearby

When HBO came to this small town in New York, disaster followed. HBO’s alleged role in a raging fire on the set of its miniseries “I Know This Much is True,” starring Mark Ruffalo, still upsets residents who say they’ve been neglected amid finger-pointing over the fire’s cause.

Other must reads

The Mexican Mafia settled scores with a killing at a Long Beach homeless camp, records reveal.
A beekeeper mourns the loss of millions of bees killed in the Mountain fire.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].

For your downtime

A young visitor looks out over MacArthur Park Lake toward downtown Los Angeles.

Going out

👟 Do you have a favorite neighborhood, trail or secret pathway to walk in Los Angeles? The Times wants to hear from you.
🌮 L.A.’s wildest taco pop-up opened its debut restaurant in El Sereno.
⚾ Spring training tickets for the Dodgers went on sale Monday, and even the cheap seats are not exactly affordable.

Staying in

🔪 Your cool black kitchenware could be slowly poisoning you, a study found. Here’s what to do.
🎨 Ken Burns’ absorbing new Leonardo da Vinci doc on PBS sidesteps one important question, our critic writes.
🌌 In HBO’s “Dune: Prophecy,” the most interesting characters are Valya Harkonnen, played by Emily Watson, and her sister Tula, played by Olivia Williams, our critic writes.
🧑‍🍳 Here’s a recipe for labneh creamed potatoes with sizzled garlic.
✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

A question for you: What is your favorite movie that captures the essence of California?

From “Lady Bird” to “Troop Beverly Hills,” the Golden State has starred in a wide range of movies. What’s your favorite?

Darren writes: “Are you using ranked choice voting; should I nominate more than one? My one is Robert Altman’s ‘The Long Goodbye.’ Others include Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Inherent Vice,’ Coppola’s ‘The Conversation,’ Michael Mann’s ‘Heat,’ Friedkin’s ‘To Live and Die in L.A.,’ Bigelow’s ‘Point Break,’ Oliver Stone’s ‘Savages’ and others, too many to mention.”

And Lois DuBois writes: “‘Sideways!’”

Email us at [email protected], and your response might be included in the newsletter this week.

And finally ... your great photo of the day

Today’s great photo is from Jessica Rohm of La Jolla: La Jolla Cove, which was added to the the National Register of Historic Places this year.

Jessica writes: “Best sunsets in San Diego. This photo was taken from the roof of the La Jolla Cove Hotel over Scripps Park.”

Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter
Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.

Trump plans to use the military to carry out mass deportations. How will California respond?