Californians see undocumented immigrants as essential to economy, poll finds

As President Trump launches a crackdown on unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., a new survey finds that a majority of California voters support providing social services for all low-income residents in the state, regardless of immigration status.

In contrast to the anti-immigrant rhetoric emanating from the White House, the survey of 800 California voters portrays a populace that values the contributions of immigrants, regardless of legal status, and believes their well-being is intertwined with a well-functioning state.

Californians “understand what a vital role immigrants play in ensuring that we all have a quality of life, and they want to make sure the basic fundamental services like access to healthcare get maintained for everyone,” said Miguel Santana, president and executive officer of the California Community Foundation, which commissioned the survey in partnership with other foundations across the state.

The poll found that more than two-thirds of respondents support allowing all state residents to purchase health insurance through Covered California, regardless of immigration status. Currently, unauthorized immigrants are not eligible to buy a plan through the state’s health insurance marketplace.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents, 64%, support offering food assistance to all eligible low-income families, regardless of the parents’ immigration status. Currently, undocumented immigrants are not eligible for California’s food stamp program, but they can apply for assistance on behalf of their U.S.-born children.

The survey also found that 57% of respondents support continuing to allow all eligible low-income residents to access medical care through Medi-Cal, the state’s public health insurance program for the poor, regardless of their immigration status.

Last year, California became the first state in the nation to offer health insurance to all low-income undocumented immigrants. That expansion is being blamed, in part, for Medi-Cal costs ballooning well above the original budget estimate.

As part of the nonpartisan survey, San Francisco-based David Binder Research interviewed voters by cellphone, landline and online, in English and Spanish, between March 19 and 24. Of the respondents, 47% identified as Democrats and 28% identified as Republicans, generally reflecting the California electorate.

The research revealed that even moderate and swing voters in California see undocumented immigrants as essential to the economy, and are worried about the economic fallout from Trump’s pledge to carry out mass deportations, said pollster David Binder. Participants expressed concerns that raids targeting farmworkers will drive up grocery prices and that wide-scale deportations will decimate small businesses and make it more expensive to build houses.

“They’re worried that mass deportations are going to cause disruptions in their daily routine,” said Binder, whose research firm also does polling for Democratic candidates. “They’ll say, ‘I’m really nervous about this, because it may end up costing me and my family.’”

That sentiment underscores a broader truth in the Golden State: Immigrants are critical to the economy in California, where about 10.6 million people — or 27% of all residents — were foreign-born as of 2023. That’s the highest share of any state and more than double the share in the rest of the country, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. About 1.8 million immigrants living in California — roughly 17% — were undocumented in 2022, according to the Pew Research Center.

Unauthorized immigrants accounted for an estimated 7% of the state’s workforce in 2022, according to the Pew Research Center, with some sectors deeply reliant on this workforce. At least half of the estimated 255,700 farmworkers in California are undocumented, according to UC Merced Research.

The California survey struck a different tone than several national polls that have found the American public is generally supportive of the Trump administration’s get-tough immigration policies. A March CBS News/YouGov poll, for example, found 58% of Americans approve of the administration’s program to deport immigrants who are in the country without authorization.

The California survey, in contrast, found that about 6 in 10 voters support ensuring all Californians have access to due process, regardless of whether that person is undocumented or has criminal convictions. This could indicate that the Trump administration’s efforts to frame its deportation strategy as a public safety initiative are “falling flat” with California voters, according to the research summary.

“Instead of mass deportations, Californians want to further integrate immigrants, regardless of their legal status, into the fabric of our state,” said Tom Wong, director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at UC San Diego, who was not involved in the survey.

Masih Fouladi, executive director of the immigrant rights group California Immigrant Policy Center, said the survey affirms efforts that advocates are pushing in Sacramento, including increased funding for immigrant legal services and protecting access to healthcare.

“It shows that the people in California still believe in a California for all,” said Fouladi, who wasn’t involved in the polling.

This article is part of The Times’ equity reporting initiative, funded by the James Irvine Foundation, exploring the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to address California’s economic divide.