Op-ed: California business leaders must be vocal and active in pursuit of immigration reform

Ana Padilla, Executive Director of the UC Merced Community and Labor Center, and Don Howard, President and CEO of The James Irvine Foundation (and co-signer on the inaugural CA4US joint statement), published a powerful call to action in the Sacramento Business Journal.

Read highlights below, and the full article here: https://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2025/11/10/opinion-padilla-howard-immigration-reform.html

The aggressive expansion of federal immigration enforcement across California is triggering an economic crisis rivaling the Great Recession or Covid-19 pandemic. Just as business leaders demanded policy action related to those crises, they must again advocate for policies to mitigate and overcome this unfolding crisis.

Specifically, employers need to be vocal and active in pursuit of comprehensive federal immigration reform that balances public safety with human dignity and economic strength.

The numbers are staggering. New research by UC Merced, supported by The James Irvine Foundation, found that more than 740,000 California workers withdrew from the labor force as the federal government intensified immigration enforcement between May and July 2025. That’s a 4.9% drop in private sector employment — a level of disruption not seen since the pandemic and the Great Recession.

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The consequences go beyond economics. Communities are at the risk of unraveling when workers earn less, families are afraid to leave their homes, local businesses shutter, and civic participation declines. This isn’t just about jobs. It’s about the social fabric of California.

So what can business leaders do?

First, recognize that effective solutions require building broad coalitions — partnering with community organizations, worker groups, and philanthropy to fully understand how immigration affects economic vitality. Immigrant workers contribute across skill levels, from specialized technical roles to essential services. They represent significant consumer purchasing power and market demand.

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Second, business leaders must publicly condemn immigration raids that disrupt local communities and businesses, demand adequate oversight of federal immigration agencies, and articulate the solutions needed for economic stability and thriving communities: policies that support working families and comprehensive federal immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship.

Some businesses are already speaking out. For example, the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), an Irvine Foundation grantee, convenes a network of business leaders from across the country to promote a shared vision for commonsense immigration reform. Together, they emphasize the urgent need for immigration policies that boost the economy and benefit working families.

Similarly, the California Community Foundation is helping to organize a coalition of civic leaders working across sectors, including employers, that is calling for meaningful reform. Business leaders looking to take action can join these robust coalitions.

Finally, at the state level, business leaders can advocate for California to strengthen its supports for workers: better unemployment benefits, stronger worker protections, and expanded access to essential services for all low-income residents, regardless of immigration status.

The politics of this issue are passionate and messy, but the stakes are clear: Aggressively and indiscriminately removing immigrant workers causes massive damages. No business can grow while losing workers or consumers, and business or elected leaders cannot sit idly while actions, federal or otherwise, harm American businesses.

Business leaders can absorb the hit to bottom lines or join efforts for policies that protect workers and preserve prosperity. California’s future depends on it.