January 15, 2026
Sacramento, Calif. (Jan. 15, 2026) – The California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC), state elected representatives and partner organizations held a press conference on Wednesday at the state Capitol to discuss Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal for the fiscal year 2026-27.
State leaders Asm. Mia Bonta (AD 18) and Asm. Liz Ortega (AD 20) joined representatives from Immigrants Rising (IR), Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC), and Services, Immigrant Rights & Education Network (SIREN), along with impacted individuals, to analyze the effects of the proposed budget on immigrant communities and the need for greater resources to address access to health care, immigration raids and other concerns.
Advocates and community members said during the press conference that the state budget must include more resources for immigrant families to protect access to health care and food assistance, strengthen deportation defense programs and to promote economic mobility and self-reliance.
Masih Fouladi, Executive Director, CIPC:
“We are here today because immigrant families across California are being hit from every direction — from federal immigration raids and deportations and now the escalating threats to basic health care and food security. As Californians, we can’t say that we support families and then stand by as their health care and food access is being stripped away. Our message today is simple: the governor and elected officials must step up. We must protect health care, we must protect food assistance, and we must protect due process and keep families together by increasing funding for deportation defense in the budget and making it permanent. Lastly, we are calling for robust investment in economic mobility programs, like SEED, that help immigrants start or build businesses so that they can support their families and strengthen local economies. And we must pay for these programs the right way, by closing corporate tax loopholes and ensuring that billionaires pay their fair share, so that working families are the ones forced to shoulder the cost of federal budget giveaways to billionaires and corporations.”
Rita Medina, Deputy Director, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California:
“The governor’s January budget unfortunately does nothing to protect our communities from the real immediate harm coming from the federal government’s anti-immigrant and anti-health agenda, especially the destabilizing impacts of HR 1 on our low income families and immigrant communities. “We call on our legislators to push back against these harmful budgets to work with the administration to find solutions to these health care access barriers and to reverse harmful cuts. With the new budget, our state has the opportunity to mend what was broken and focus our existing dollars on key priorities. This budget should reflect our values, protect our communities and ensure that health care truly is for all.”
Huy Tran, Executive Director, SIREN:
“Immigrant rights organizations have been able to serve 32,000 Californians with the investments made by our State. While we appreciate the leadership that California has shown last year, the reality is that 2026 will be worse. The federal government’s $170 billion allocation for immigration enforcement will fully take effect this year as thousands of new ICE recruits now hit the streets. Renee Good was murdered by a 10-year veteran of ICE. Now imagine upwards of two thousand poorly trained trigger happy agents wandering the streets and going door to door. You don’t have to imagine that because it’s happening right now. We ask our state leaders to continue your resolve and invest more into ongoing funds to expand deportation defense services, particularly for our youth and our students and staff at our CSUs and community colleges.”
Kimberly Woo, community organizer whose family members were deported:
“Legal representation is the lifeline for our loved ones to have their fair day in court. I have loved ones who sought to immigrate and do things the right way and tragically, last year, they were detained during their green card interviews. They had taken every correct step to get their green cards. This interview was their last step. They even hired a lawyer to help them throughout the entire process. After seeing my relatives detained and handcuffed, our former attorney offered to represent my family in court but only with a hefty starting payment of $5,000. It was money we didn’t have, and there is no constitutional right to an attorney in immigration proceedings. My family felt lost and terrified. Thankfully, SIREN stepped up to represent and defend us for free. SIREN did everything it could, but one of my relatives was deported shortly after being detained and the other had their bail denied. They then made the difficult decision to self-deport. Over 120,000 or around 62 percent of Californians facing deportation do not have legal counsel. This is why we need to increase funding for immigration legal services to ensure that everyone has access to free, quality representation when facing the extreme risk of removal and family separation. People with legal counsel in immigration detention are up to ten times more likely to obtain relief they are eligible for than those without a lawyer. Legal representation can make the lifesaving difference between deportation and family reunification.”
Dr. Iliana Perez, Executive Director, Immigrants Rising:
“Today, we are here not just to react to the budget but to call on California’s leaders to align their fiscal priorities with the economic realities and values of our state. Undocumented immigrants make up more than five percent of California’s population and are deeply embedded in the social and economic fabric of every region across the state. They’re educators, caregivers, construction workers, entrepreneurs, students, taxpayers and consumers contributing meaningfully to our communities and to the state’s economy. We’re grateful to the governor’s proposals, including historic investments in education. However, we cannot overlook the fact that the budget fails to include additional funding for economic mobility at a time when immigrant families and the broader economy need it most. In the continued absence of federal immigration reform, California must lead, not retreat. That means continuing investment in immigrant serving programs and economic support, like the Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development initiative, also known as SEED, and Opportunity for All, a student-led campaign that aims to expand employment opportunities for undocumented students. We urge the legislature and the administration to hear this call, stand with immigrants, recommit to immigrant economic mobility and make the investments that will strengthen every corner of our state.”
Manolo, a community member who received a SEED grant:
“I am one of the many immigrant entrepreneurs across the state serving communities all across the state. I started my business in the summer of 2020 at a time when the world felt uncertain, overwhelming . Starting a business felt exactly like that. I didn’t have the access to traditional financial resources, I didn’t have much in savings, and I didn’t really know who or where to turn to for support. I started my business with very little money and a lot of uncertainty the first year. So it’s fair to say that my business wasn’t making much money and wasn’t getting any traction but I kept going. Any entrepreneur knows that passion alone isn’t enough to sustain a business. Thankfully, that’s when a mentor of mine shared this grant opportunity provided by Immigrants Rising. SEED changed everything for me. SEED didn’t just provide financial support, it provided belief and hope. With that support I was able to reinvest in my business and I purchased bigger and better tools that made my work a lot more efficient and allowed me to take on more work. I was able to save for a larger vehicle which opened up even more job opportunities for myself and what’s even more meaningful is that those tools I was able to buy with the grant, I am still using to this day. I used them yesterday, we’re using them today and I’m going to use them tomorrow. Today, my business continues to grow and I’m proud to say that I now have the luxury of being able to employ a full time and part time employee. SEED didn’t just help fund my business, it changed the trajectory of my life. It showed me what’s possible when communities invest in people who are willing to work hard and dream big. I hope my story can help serve as proof that, with the right opportunities, immigrants can and immigrants will thrive.”
A recording of the press conference is available here.
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