More than 11 million undocumented people currently live in the United States, nearly a quarter of whom are in California.
Perhaps that’s why California has gone to battle with the Trump administration over its policies involving undocumented immigrants. The state enacted a trio of laws aimed at protecting migrants, which came to be known, for better or worse, as the state’s “sanctuary state” laws. The state and the federal government are now locked in a legal battle over those laws.
At this year’s Politifest, HuffPost’s Amanda Terkel led a discussion exploring what life is like for undocumented immigrants at a time when the president regularly vilifies them.
Dulce Garcia, an immigration attorney and DACA recipient, said the president’s threats to the program that has allowed undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children have only strengthened advocates’ resolve.
“The narrative has changed to include our parents as well,” she said. “Today we are saying ‘Abolish ICE’ and a year ago that was unthinkable.”
Other panelists include:
- Elise Foley, HuffPost reporter
- Maya Srikrishnan, VOSD reporter
- Tom Wong, UCSD professor