Press Release – Immigrant Rights Advocates Decry Cuts to Immigration Legal Services Programs Proposed Under the Governor’s May Revision Budget

Sacramento, CA — Today, immigrant rights advocates expressed concern about Gov. Newsom’s proposal to cut immigration legal services in his May Revision to the California budget. If enacted, the cuts come as immigrant communities in California face the potential reelection of former President Trump, who has threatened the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history.”

“Since 2015 California has invested in protecting families against separation and detention by supporting legal services and community education. The decision to reduce these services at a moment when Trump is threatening to unleash a militarized deportation campaign when he returns to power is devastating to California’s immigrant community,” said Jackie Gonzalez of Immigrant Defense Advocates.  

Among the cuts proposed by Newsom in his May Revision are the elimination of the Children’s Holistic Immigration Representation Project (CHIRP) a program that supports unaccompanied immigrant children, and the termination of funding in support of immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Other proposed cuts include a 75 percent reduction to the California State University Immigration Legal Services Project (CSU-ILSP), a program that has already provided free immigration legal services to 20,000 CSU students, staff, and their families. 

“Now is not the time to reduce funding for immigration legal services that serve thousands of California students, workers and their families. The governor’s proposed cuts to these programs would further isolate immigrant communities at a time when they are under increasingly xenophobic attacks,” said Masih Fouladi, executive director of the California Immigrant Policy Center. “To affirm our commitment to a California for All, the governor and the legislature should look for ways to preserve and expand state funding for immigration services programs. We are a stronger state when we protect the well-being of immigrant Californians, who are essential members of our communities and an essential part of what makes us the Golden State.”

In March, advocates wrote a letter signed by 73 organizations across the state of California urging the governor to maintain investments in California’s immigration legal services. In April the California Latino Caucus included immigration legal services as part of its 2024 budget priorities letter to Gov. Newsom.

“A state’s budget should reflect the values of its constituents, and the cuts to immigration services the governor has proposed in the May Revise show a consequential departure from that,” said Abraham Bedoy, Policy and Community Specialist at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. “Free legal services are lifelines for many Californians, especially given Biden’s failure to reduce deportation and detention and the possibility of another anti-immigrant Trump presidency. The governor should invest in the diverse and immigrant-rich communities that make California so prosperous and reduce financial backing for practices such as enforcement and incarceration that separate families in our communities.”

As budget negotiations continue, advocates will urge  the governor to reconsider his proposed cuts and will call on members of the legislature to prioritize immigrant communities.

Immigrant Defense Advocates
California Immigrant Policy Center
Immigrant Legal Resource Center

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Additional Background on California Immigration Legal Services:

• In 2015, California created the first state-based program in the U.S. to dedicate public dollars – $15 million in one-time funding – for qualified nonprofit organizations providing outreach, education and legal services to immigrants. California increased annual budget allocations for immigration legal services programs to $30 million in 2016, $45 million in 2017, $65 million in 2018, $75 million in 2019 – which has been an ongoing allocation since – and an additional one-time $30 million allocation in 2021. These  critical state-based programs ensure children, youth, college students, workers, vulnerable individuals and families in California have access to legal services and representation they need to adjust their status and apply for immigration benefits and relief — such as Naturalization, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS) — or to defend their rights in government custody or in deportation proceedings. 
• California’s Immigration Legal Services Programs include: One California Immigration Services Funding (ISF), Removal Defense (RD), Undocumented Unaccompanied Minors (UUM), Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Immigration Legal Services, California State University (CSU) Immigration Legal Services, California Community College Immigration Legal Services, and capacity building projects. Program funds are administered by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to over 120 qualified nonprofit organizations providing outreach and legal services and representation to California’s immigrant communities.