As President Donald Trump pushes forward with a sweeping immigration crackdown backed by $170 billion in federal funding, Newsom has announced the release of $35 million in state funds to support illegal immigrants in California. The move sets up yet another high-stakes clash between the nation’s largest blue state and the White House.
According to a press release from the governor’s office, the money was already set aside by the legislature in the state budget. It will now be distributed to philanthropic partners and local organizations to help immigrant families with food assistance and other essential resources. The funding comes on top of existing state dollars earmarked for legal services for individuals facing deportation.
“While the federal government targets hardworking families, California stands with them,” Newsom said. He accused the Trump administration of accelerating “mass detention,” trampling due process, and funding “authoritarian enforcement” with more than $170 billion.
“The Trump Administration chooses cruelty and chaos,” Newsom added. “California chooses community.”
The announcement comes as Trump’s deportation agenda kicks into high gear. In June, the president signed a budget bill allocating $170 billion toward immigration enforcement, detention, and deportation operations. The plan aims to remove up to one million immigrants per year over the next four years — a centerpiece promise of his campaign.
Newsom’s office says the $35 million is intended to calm growing fear in immigrant communities. A spokesperson told CalMatters that the governor has been speaking directly with families and community leaders who say people are “afraid to leave their homes, afraid to go to school or work, and unable to afford groceries.”
But the funding decision lands at a complicated moment for California’s finances.
The state is projecting a $2.9 billion deficit in the upcoming budget year, according to CalMatters. Earlier this year, California scaled back health care coverage for illegal immigrants to help address a previous shortfall. Critics argue that allocating millions more to immigration-related programs while facing budget constraints sends a conflicting message.
While California is facing a $2.9 billion deficit, Governor Gavin Newsom has announced he will allocate $35 million for “legal services and basic needs” for illegal immigrants to fight against Donald Trump’s deportations. Californians are paying to keep illegals in their state.…
— Ackchyually (@Ackchyually2000) February 24, 2026
Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio didn’t hold back.
“If you were audited by the IRS and found to owe money and back taxes, as a citizen, you couldn’t say, ‘Well, I want a free lawyer to fight the federal government,’” DeMaio told CalMatters, calling the funding “absurd.”
Democrats, however, are framing the move as a moral imperative.
State Sen. Lena Gonzalez, chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, said the funding proves Democrats will “continue to stand in solidarity with our immigrant families.” She accused the federal government of “waging a war on our communities.”
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas echoed that sentiment, declaring that California “will never be silent in the face of Trump’s cruel and unlawful immigration raids.”
State officials emphasized that funds for legal services cannot be used to assist individuals convicted of serious or violent felonies in fighting deportation. California law also does not prevent state corrections officials from transferring immigrants convicted of serious or violent felonies into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
The divide is stark and growing sharper.
On one side: a federal government investing historic sums to expand detention facilities and speed removals. On the other side, a state government is committing millions to blunt the human and legal impact of those very policies.
As deportations increase and budget pressures mount, California is once again positioning itself as the epicenter of the immigration battle — and neither side appears ready to back down.
