In a concerted effort to reshape immigration policy, six Republican lawmakers from California have reached out to President Donald Trump, advocating for a strategic shift in the nation's immigration enforcement. The legislators are pushing for a stronger emphasis on deporting criminal illegal immigrants while proposing a pathway to legal status for long-standing illegal residents who have integrated into their communities.
The GOP officials argue that the current enforcement strategies by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are instilling unnecessary fear among legal workers and disrupting business operations. In a letter addressed to President Trump, they urged for a reduction in sweeping ICE raids and a focus on targeted actions against individuals with serious criminal convictions. "We urge you to direct ICE and DHS to focus their enforcement operations on criminal immigrants, and when possible to avoid the kinds of sweeping raids that instill fear and disrupt the workplace," the letter stated.
The lawmakers, led by Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R-San Diego), are also advocating for broader immigration reforms to support industries facing labor shortages. They propose expanding the H-2A and H-2B visa programs, which allow temporary foreign workers in agriculture and other sectors, respectively. They argue that the current caps on these programs are outdated and are hindering economic growth. The American Farm Bureau has noted that while roughly 384,900 H-2A visas were recently issued, the H-2B program remains limited to only 66,000 annually.
California's labor crisis is underscored by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' report of 659,000 unfilled positions in March 2025, and a May unemployment rate of 5.3 percent, leaving over a million residents jobless. The legislators contend that modernizing immigration policies could help bridge this gap by legally supporting industries in need of workers.
Jones's legislative efforts include a bill aimed at enhancing cooperation between state prisons and federal immigration authorities. This bill, which failed in committee, would have required California jails to notify ICE of the release dates of inmates convicted of serious or violent felonies, including "wobblers"—offenses that can be charged as either misdemeanors or felonies.
Adding to their comprehensive immigration strategy, the legislators also support the idea of granting legal status to non-criminal illegal immigrants with deep roots in their communities. They reference the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act signed by President Ronald Reagan, which legalized nearly 3 million illegal immigrants, as a precedent for bold action. "The last President to successfully tackle this issue was Ronald Reagan nearly 40 years ago, and it is long past time to modernize our immigration policies," they wrote. "America needs a system that reflects both compassion and lawfulness—one that upholds sovereignty while recognizing the reality on the ground."
The proposal outlines a three-part immigration strategy: directing ICE to prioritize criminals, creating legal status pathways for illegal immigrants with longstanding ties, and reforming the visa system to address ongoing labor shortages. Alongside Jones, the letter was signed by Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa-Bogh (R-Yucaipa) and Assemblymembers Heath Flora (R-Ripon), Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach), and Laurie Davies (R-Laguna Niguel).
This initiative reflects a coordinated Republican push to influence immigration policy within California, one of the nation's most immigrant-heavy states. The effort is a clear sign that GOP lawmakers are seeking solutions that balance enforcement with economic and humanitarian considerations.
