When employees feel unsafe, customers stay home, families are disrupted, and uncertainty replaces stability, everyone suffers—regardless of immigration status.
GET THE FACTS
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41% of the construction industry in the state are immigrants (14% undocumented)
Among construction laborers specifically: 61% are immigrants and 26% are undocumented
78% of construction firms in CA report difficulty finding qualified workers
Without undocumented labor, California’s construction industry would shrink by nearly 16% of its GDP
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Among farmworkers specifically, 33% are undocumented and 75% are immigrants.
Disruptions to CA farms affect the national food supply: CA farmers produce one-third of all vegetables and three-quarters of all fruits and nuts consumed in the U.S., and CA is the exclusive domestic producer of 19 specialty crops – including almonds, pistachios, raisins, and olives
Without undocumented labor, California’s agriculture industry would shrink by nearly 14% of its GDP
Food prices could increase by 14.5% nationwide by the end of 2028 under current mass deportation policies
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Nearly 11% of self-proprietorships in CA are owned by undocumented immigrants
Over 80% of housekeepers who own small businesses are immigrants,; nearly 39% of them are undocumented
More than half of childcare providers who are small business owners are immigrants, and 20% are undocumented
26% of construction laborers are undocumented, but 32% of construction laborers who own businesses are undocumented. If a business owner is deported, the entire operation may collapse – even if employees remain.
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The average undocumented worker in CA contributes over $7,000 in annual taxes
Undocumented immigrants contribute $10.6B in annual state and local taxes, including $4.9B in sales and excise tases, $3.4B in property taxes, and $2.2 billion in income taxes
CA’s undocumented immigrants pay $12.9 billion in federal taxes, despite being excluded from most federal benefits
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Undocumented Workers Generate Nearly 9% of CA's Annual GDP
Mass deportation would result in the loss of nearly $153 billion in direct effects. When factoring in indirect effects, the total loss grows to $212 billion. When accounting for induced effects – the impact of undocumented workers’ household spending on goods and services like housing, food, transportation, and healthcare in local economies – the total economic loss rises to $278 billion.
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One in three of the 2.28 million undocumented Californians arrived in the state over a decade ago
Approximately 3.3 million Californians live in mixed-status households, where at least one family member is undocumented
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Raids ARE TARGETING WORKERS, NOT CRIMINALS
California saw a 3.1% drop in private-sector employment the week immediately after the Trump administration increased raids in the state. The drop is second only to the unemployment surge the state experienced during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, and worse than the immediate decline during the Great Recession in 2007 and 2008
Up to 70% of workers on some farms have stayed home out of fear of getting caught up in raids, meaning this season’s crops aren’t being harvested and next season’s crops aren’t being planted
Restaurants, food trucks, street vendors, and other immigrant-supported businesses have seen 20%–75% sales declines, as customers stay home fearing raids
Comprehensive Immigration Policy Reform Is Urgently Needed and Overwhelmingly Supported by AMERICANS
About CALIFORNIA FOR U.S.
All Californians deserve to live and work in dignity and security. Fear, hate, and brutality impoverish our communities, economy, and society. We are a coalition of civic leaders working across sectors to advance rational, humane policy California needs to grow and thrive.