(CALIFORNIA) — California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on February 24, 2026, the release of $35 million in state funding that he said will support undocumented immigrant families as the Trump administration expands deportation operations.
Newsom’s office said the money, approved earlier in the state budget, will flow through philanthropic partners and help pay for food assistance and other basic resources, alongside earlier state support for legal services for people facing deportation.
“While the federal government targets hardworking families, California stands with them – uniting partners and funding local communities to help support their neighbors,” Newsom said, criticizing federal spending of “over $170 billion” on “authoritarian enforcement.”
A Newsom spokesperson told CalMatters that families are “afraid to leave their homes, afraid to go to school or work, and unable to afford groceries.”
The announcement lands as California leaders frame the state’s new allocation as a response to stepped-up federal immigration enforcement, and as the state tries to limit the fallout for families who depend on schools, workplaces and local services.
Money will reach communities through philanthropic partners that act as intermediaries, routing assistance meant for everyday needs such as food and other basics, the state said.
Newsom’s office also tied the new release of funds to California’s existing efforts to support legal services for immigrants at risk of deportation, describing the overall push as a combined approach aimed at legal defense and immediate support.
Kim Johnson, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said the investment “strengthens local partners who are helping people access legal services and meet basic needs during an incredibly difficult moment.”
State Sen. Lena Gonzalez, chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, cast the funding as a direct counter to federal action. She called it solidarity against a federal “war on our communities,” and said the aim is to “stop the fear, stop the separation of our families and stop violating our basic rights.”
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas also condemned federal raids as “cruel and unlawful,” linking California’s move to what Democratic leaders described as growing disruption across immigrant communities.
The allocation comes as California confronts its own budget pressures. The state faces a projected $2.9 billion budget deficit next year, and it recently cut healthcare for undocumented immigrants, the report said.
California also set limits on who can receive help under the state’s legal-aid programs. Legal aid funds exclude individuals with serious or violent felony convictions, a restriction state officials have cited as they defend spending intended to support immigrants in removal proceedings.
State officials and allies drew a distinction between the basic-needs support that will be routed through philanthropic partners and the rules attached to legal services funding, describing separate channels with separate eligibility conditions.
Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio criticized the funding, calling it “absurd” and questioning why taxpayers should support undocumented immigrants.
Newsom and other state leaders framed the new money as part of a broader attempt by California to counteract federal policy under President Trump, including operations that they say spread fear and keep people from leaving home.
The state’s move follows a series of actions by the Trump administration and federal agencies that California officials and advocates cited as the backdrop for the new funding.
In June 2025, a budget bill signed by Trump provided $170 billion over four years for enforcement, detention, and deportations, targeting up to 1 million immigrants annually.
A month later, the July 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) included new spending and operational changes. It added $45 billion for ICE detention expansion, $30 billion for hiring 10,000 agents by end-2025, and $46 billion for border wall construction.
The OBBBA also capped immigration judges at 800, even as the immigration court system carried a 3.8 million case backlog as of June 2025, tightening the constraints on adjudication capacity as enforcement ramps up.
Vice President JD Vance announced on January 7, 2026, the deployment of over 10,000 additional ICE agents for door-to-door arrests using private data, a plan California officials and advocates cited as part of the intensifying federal posture.
ICE aims for 3,000 daily arrests, with $38 billion funding warehouses turned into detention centers and chartered flights, according to the report.
California leaders argued that the combined effect of detention expansion, staffing increases, and the stated daily arrest target has left many immigrant families anxious about routine activities such as commuting, shopping, and taking children to school.
Newsom’s criticism focused on federal spending priorities, arguing that California should respond by helping local communities and partners deliver immediate support and connect people to legal help when they face deportation proceedings.
Johnson, who leads the California Health and Human Services Agency, linked the new allocation to on-the-ground groups that can reach families quickly, describing an “incredibly difficult moment” in which residents seek both basic aid and legal assistance.
Gonzalez framed the state action as a stand against what she described as a federal campaign that causes family separation and threatens rights, positioning the state’s funding as a tool to counter fear and keep families intact.
Rivas, in condemning raids as “cruel and unlawful,” aligned the Assembly’s top Democrat with the governor’s broader message that California will intervene to support communities affected by intensified federal enforcement.
The state’s approach relies on philanthropic partners to distribute assistance, an arrangement California officials have used to move funds to local providers that can deliver aid for basic resources such as food.
Newsom’s office described the new allocation as a release of money already approved, signaling that the state is moving from authorization to distribution as federal activity expands and as local partners report increased need.
The governor’s spokesperson described a climate of fear that keeps families inside and leaves them struggling to work and buy groceries, a situation the state says it wants to blunt with targeted support and coordination with community groups.
DeMaio’s criticism underscored the political divide in Sacramento, where Republican lawmakers have attacked programs that provide state-funded support to undocumented immigrants, while Democratic leaders describe such aid as necessary during federal crackdowns.
California’s announcement also comes after the state cut healthcare for undocumented immigrants, a move that officials and advocates have discussed alongside the state’s projected deficit and broader fiscal pressures.
The state’s legal-aid restrictions, which exclude people with serious or violent felony convictions, add another layer to the debate, as officials emphasize that legal assistance funding follows set criteria even as basic-needs support reaches families through partners.
As the money rolls out, philanthropic partners will handle distribution and local coordination, with the state positioning the funds as a way to help families meet immediate needs and connect with services during heightened enforcement.
The decision also sets up continued legislative and political sparring in Sacramento, with Democratic leaders defending the funding as community support and at least one Republican lawmaker calling it “absurd,” as California prepares for the next phase of implementation through partner networks and public outreach.
California Governor Gavin Newsom Pours $35 Million to Fight Trump Administration Deportations
Governor Gavin Newsom has activated $35 million in state funds to provide food and essential services to undocumented families in California. This action serves as a direct counter-measure to the Trump administration’s expanded deportation operations. While Democratic leaders emphasize protecting human rights and community stability, critics point to California’s budget deficit and recent healthcare cuts as reasons to oppose state-funded support for non-citizens.
