By Fenix Suriel | Editorial credit: Sua Sponte Photography / Shutterstock.com

New York, NY— American Community Media hosts a national media briefing on California Leads Resistance to Immigration Crackdown.

A wave of federal immigration raids across California this month has triggered a dramatic escalation between state and federal authorities. President Trump’s call to send the National Guard and US Marines has drawn national attention to the renewed clash over immigration enforcement, sanctuary policies, and the use of military force on American soil.

American Community Media is a nonprofit news and communications agency. The panel was held to discuss California’s response to the raids.

Beginning in early June, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched a series of coordinated raids throughout Southern California with support from federal law enforcement agencies. The crackdown, part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration agenda, has led to dozens of arrests, widespread protests, and a legal showdown between Governor Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump.

“I have never in my lifetime seen these actions from the federal government,” Antonio Villaraigosa, former LA Mayor and Gubernatorial hopeful.

The first major operation began on June 6 in Los Angeles’ Fashion District and other locations, where ICE agents conducted surprise workplace raids. At least 44 people were detained, including undocumented workers and, notably, David Huerta, the president of SEIU California. 

Protests erupted almost immediately. Over the following weekend, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across the city. 

Confrontations grew tense as federal agents deployed tear gas, flash-bangs, and drones in response to the unrest. In Huntington Park, a home was breached with explosives and a drone in what authorities later said was a targeted raid on a suspect with undocumented status.

On June 24, another alarming incident drew headlines when passersby in downtown Los Angeles called 911 to report what appeared to be a kidnapping. The perpetrators were later identified as plainclothes ICE agents conducting another arrest operation.

California Governor Gavin Newsom began pushing back against the Trump administration. Newsom strongly condemned the federal actions, calling the raids “chaotic,” “reckless,” and “an assault on California families and values.” 

Newsom filed an emergency legal motion seeking to block the deployment of federal troops to Los Angeles, arguing that the use of active-duty Marines and National Guard personnel violated state sovereignty and was done without consent.

“These raids are not about public safety. They are about political theater,” said Newsom in a press conference. “California will not be bullied into abandoning its core principles,” he added.

“The fact that we have immigrants who come to California and who do extraordinary things. To stop that flow is gonna hurt California,” said Henry Brady, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.

Ventura County farms reported that nearly 70% of their workforce vanished in the days following the raids, leaving produce to rot in the fields.

California had remained unified through adversity. Community organizations and businesses, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, have raised more than $1 million to provide legal aid and emergency support to affected families.

Since the beginning of his second term in January, Trump has recommitted to his hardline immigration policies, authorizing ICE to carry out broad raids and deploying federal resources to sanctuary jurisdictions.

In a televised address following the protests, Trump accused California officials of “harboring criminals” and announced lawsuits against the City of Los Angeles and its mayor, Karen Bass, for refusing to cooperate with federal authorities. “We will not allow sanctuary cities to stand in the way of law and order,” said Trump.

Despite administration claims that the raids target violent offenders, ICE data reveals that more than half of those arrested in June lacked any criminal convictions.

“We have never seen anything like this,” said Jeannette Zanipatin, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). “It is of utmost importance that we shed a light from the media perspective in all the ways that this administration is working,” said Zanipatin.

Civil liberties advocates and legal scholars have criticized the federal government’s decision to target workers while rarely prosecuting employers. “This is an intimidation campaign, not a crime-fighting initiative,” said Cristina Rodriguez, a law professor at Yale.

California has been a sanctuary state since 2017, when Senate Bill 54 limited local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The law prevents state and local law enforcement from holding individuals for ICE unless they’ve committed certain serious crimes.

Los Angeles reaffirmed its sanctuary city status in 2024, following Trump’s re-election. That declaration set the stage for this month’s confrontation, as the administration seeks to undermine local protections for undocumented immigrants.

The Trump administration’s Justice Department is now challenging those protections in court, claiming they obstruct federal law. Legal experts anticipate a high-profile legal battle over state rights, immigration enforcement, and the limits of federal authority.

“I think the real story, though, and the real focus. Has to be on the federalizing of the National Guard. And the bringing in the 700 Marines,” said Villaraigosa.

The raids and their aftermath have exposed deep divisions between California and the federal government. While Trump frames the operations as a necessary effort to “clean up America,” California officials argue they represent an unconstitutional overreach.

“This is not a national security effort. This is a political vendetta,” said State Senator María Elena Durazo. “Our communities are not safer. They are terrified.”

Civil rights groups are preparing a series of lawsuits, while public demonstrations continue to grow. Legal aid organizations report being overwhelmed by requests, and local officials are working to expand access to resources and shelter for displaced families.

Governor Newsom’s legal challenge to federal troop deployment is pending in federal court. Meanwhile, state lawmakers are drafting new legislation to limit further ICE access to schools, hospitals, and courthouses.

The confrontation has reignited national debate over immigration, federalism, and civil liberties. For many Californians, the events of June 2025 are a stark reminder of the stakes in the ongoing battle over immigration reform and the future of sanctuary policies in the United States.

Trump’s attack on immigration has extended to this week when he signed an executive order to end birthright citizenship.

“We will still secure a nationwide injunction, and we believe that birthright citizenship will still be upheld as a constitutional right,” said Rob Bonta, California Attorney General.

Fenix Suriel is a journalist based out of New York City and a student at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.

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