LA Protests: Is Immigration the Root Cause of California’s Problems?

California is at the epicenter of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, with National Guard troops and Marines deployed to Los Angeles to supposedly liberate it from a “migrant invasion.”

However, despite the Trump administration’s assertions that the city is “unraveling” and that unauthorized immigration is the root cause of all of California’s problems, the facts say otherwise.

While most U.S. states’ unauthorized immigrant populations stayed steady from 2019 to 2022, California is the only state whose unauthorized immigrant population actually decreased.

The number of undocumented immigrants in California declined from 2.9 million in 2010 to 2.6 million in 2022, the most recent year available.

One reason why California’s unauthorized population declined is that the number of undocumented immigrants from Mexico in the state fell from 2 million in 2010 to 1.2 million in 2023.

This decline is driven by socio-economic factors. Mexican citizens returned home as its economy and government institutions improved, and because they were getting older — as many arrived starting in the 1990s.

The cost of living and rising house prices and rents have also caused immigrants to leave California. A mid-tier California home costs nearly $800,000 — roughly double the national average.

That immigrants are the root cause of California’s problems is also debunked by opinion polls, with 60% of Californians saying that immigrants are a benefit to the state in a recent survey.