SACRAMENTO, CA – Assemblymember Anamarie Ávila Farías (D-Martinez) issued the following statement today in response to the report released by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute in partnership with UC Merced, The Economic Impact of Mass Deportation in California:
“Today, more than 1.5 million undocumented workers are a backbone of California’s economy — contributing billions of dollars annually and make up nearly 5% of our entire state GDP. Think about that.
“Whether it’s in agriculture, caregiving, construction, or transportation, undocumented workers fill some of the most critical and demanding jobs in our state.
“Yet despite their vital contributions, these workers, including many who are Contra Costa residents, live under the constant threat of deportation. This fear doesn’t just hurt families — it disrupts entire industries. It means delayed housing projects, gaps in health care staffing, strained food supply chains, and higher prices for everyone.
“This federal administration claimed it would target criminals, not law-abiding, tax-paying members of our communities. But, these mass deportation policies are targeting the very people who keep California running — and risking economic chaos in the process.
“That’s why California must step up. My bill, AB 1442 — the Essential Worker Commission and Economic Stabilization Act — offers a practical, state-based approach to protecting these workers and the industries that rely on them. We must ensure these essential workers can remain on the job and contribute without fear.
“It’s time to lead with both economic sense and moral clarity. Doing right by our workers means doing right by California’s future.”
Editors Note — here is the executive summary
Executive Summary
This report examines how shifting federal immigration enforcement policies and expanded immigration enforcement could impact California’s economy. With the nation’s largest state economy where immigrants comprise nearly one-third of the population, disruptions in California would reverberate nationwide. Drawing on economic data and stakeholder perspectives, the study analyzes the role undocumented immigrants play in the state and the potential consequences of mass deportation policies.
The following key insights illustrate the potential economic effects on California:
What we stand to lose without California’s immigrant workforce:
- Of California’s 10.6 million immigrants, our study found that 2.28 million are undocumented –representing one in five immigrants and 8% of all workers in California.
- Based on direct wage contributions alone, undocumented workers generate nearly 5% of California’s gross domestic product (GDP) – a figure that rises to nearly 9% when accounting for the broader ripple effects of their labor across the economy.Undocumented workers also contribute over $23 billion annually in local, state, and federal taxes.
Mass deportation would have uneven impacts across industry sectors:
- Over a quarter of the state’s agricultural workforce is undocumented, and nearly two-thirds are immigrants of any status. Without undocumented workers, GDP generated by California’s agriculture industry would contract by 14%.
- A mass deportation policy would also severely disrupt California’s construction industry, which already faces a major labor shortage and relies heavily on immigrant workers – 26% of whom are undocumented and 61% of whom are immigrants. Without undocumented workers, GDP generated by California’s construction industry would shrink by nearly 16%.
In interviews, stakeholders shared that businesses and communities across the state are already facing challenges and economic costs due to increased immigration enforcement. There was broad agreement from business and other community leaders for enacting federal policies to provide legalization to undocumented immigrants.
Full 68-page report, click here
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