With immigration, Newsom should stick it to Trump with facts

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OPINION – As the nationwide anti-ICE protests display, Trump’s immigration agenda is encountering unprecedented challenges.

Still, administration advocates defend its draconian approach. Whether it’s Border Czar Tom Homan asking that ICE be let into jails and noting that enforcement will continue, or continued claims that Trump is “going after the worst first,” public opinion may be turning, but the government’s plans haven’t. The billions from last year’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” for ICE and immigration enforcement continue to fuel Trump’s deportation machine.

In this charged political environment, Governor Newsom, with his Presidential aspirations hidden from no one, ought to seize this opportunity on immigration. Specifically, he should make a point to call out the Trump administration with facts, clarifying the reality of this complicated issue to potentially earn the support of an energized population.

First, Newsom is particularly well-positioned given that California is home to more foreign-born people than any other state in the country.

While this point gains California’s chief executive some credibility, to directly confront the current administration, Newsom must clean up the political waters that Trump has muddied on the subject.

Putting aside the strange “they are eating the dogs and cats” comment from Trump’s debate with Harris, we also should be aware that a majority of people polled during the 2024 campaign were in favor of mass deportation.

The problem is that it’s unclear if when people thought of mass deportation, if their thoughts of gang members and murders also included gardeners, day laborers, or anyone else who is in the country without legal authorization but who has not committed violent crimes.

To the point, other polls show that Americans by wide majorities support providing a pathway to citizenship for children who have come to the country without legal authorization, as well as spouses of American citizens who cannot legalize, among other groups.

There are still other facts that Newsom can use.

Consider Texas, the state where 1 out of every 4 immigrants in the US have been arrested.

The Lone Star state also has no sanctuary cities, that is, jurisdictions with separation ordinances that prohibit local police from working with federal authorities on immigration enforcement.

Contrary to sanctuary California, Texas has the second most local law enforcement agencies, at 167, trailing only Florida in that number of partnerships with the federal government to carry out Trump’s immigration agenda. State law that went into effect this year states that every police department must collaborate by year’s end.

What does the data from Texas show? To start, ICE is not going after the “worst of the worst.”  In fact, according to the Texas Tribune’s analysis of Department of Homeland Security data, nearly 60% of immigrants detained in the state have only the immigration related offenses of either coming to the county without legal authorization, or residing here after their permits or visas expired.  

But it’s not only Texas – figures nationwide on the immigrants in detention are the same.

Facts don’t stop administration mouthpieces from neglecting these facts as they cherry-pick cases of violent criminals to gaslight the public from the community-destroying results of enforcement actions.

With many in the country protesting, this moment can be either lost in the stream of 24-hour news cycle, or seized by political leaders to push back on the federal government’s arbitrary use of force. Of presidential hopefuls, Governor Newsom is particularly well-positioned – and seemingly willing – to stick it to Trump these days. With facts on his side, now is the time for Newsom to lead on the issue of immigration, confronting the administration on its signature issue and calling out their gaslighting with facts.

Anthony Pahnke is Associate Professor of International Relations at San Francisco State University.