The Trump administration's directive to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has led to a significant rise in immigration arrests, targeting Democratic-led cities. Legal professionals like Jordan Weiner have noted the rising risk for deportations among certain groups. Since the inauguration, ICE has arrested over 5,800 immigrants, marking a 123% increase from 2024. The broad actions have generated considerable fear in California, where approximately a quarter of the population is foreign-born, and many families are directly impacted by these immigration policies.
"I've been doing immigration law for over 10 years, and I've never seen anything like this," said Jordan Weiner, the legal director of the Removal Defense Program at La Raza Centro Legal in San Francisco.
According to the Deportation Data Project, a database led by a UC Berkeley law professor, ICE has arrested over 5,800 immigrants statewide since the inauguration - a 123% increase from 2024.
The crackdowns have sparked a wave of fear and anger across California, the state with the largest share of immigrants in the country.
"Those instances where people are going in for their usual check-in, and not being released - having someone there accompanying you means that we can immediately request legal assistance."
According to a Public Policy Institute of California report, more than a quarter of California's population is foreign-born, and nearly half of California's children have at least one immigrant parent.
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