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The United States of America is a country made up of immigrants.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, there were 46 million immigrants living in the United States as of 2022, making up about 13.9% of the population.

An estimated 11 million of those immigrants are undocumented— and an estimated 2 million of them live in California.

According to state data, around half of all kids in California have at least one immigrant parent. One in five, or 20%, California children live in mixed-status families, meaning family members have different citizenship or immigration status.

Undocumented immigrants are part of our families, communities and economy. In 2022, households led by undocumented immigrants contributed an estimated $75.6 billion in taxes, according to the American Immigration Council.

Since entering office, President Donald Trump has taken steps to fulfill his campaign promise to carry out mass deportations. The Trump administration has directed ICE officials to “aggressively ramp up the number of people they arrest, from a few hundred per day to at least 1,200 to 1,500,” The Washington Post reported in January.

It’s unclear just how many people have been deported thus far, as estimates and data sources vary widely.

The country is divided on the methods being used to carry out Trump’s immigration plans. Recent polling shows that less than half, 44%, of Americans support a mass deportation of everyone who is in the country without legal status.

The February poll also found nearly one-third of respondents said that recent restrictions on immigration “go too far,” while a similar 29% said the restrictions “do not go far enough.”

At the same time, Americans are having heated conversations that are often characterized by misinformed statements about immigrants and the system they face.

Virtual event to address questions on immigration

Join reporters from the La Abeja team for an in-depth conversation about the common misconceptions about immigration, Tuesday, March 25 at 6 p.m. The La Abeja team is made up of McClatchy reporters from our California newsrooms.

In this virtual session, Central Valley-based immigrant rights advocates, policy experts and lawyers will discuss the major questions and challenges in the immigration process. We will be joined by:

• Matias Bernal, Development Director, California Immigrant Policy Center
• Olga Grosh, Immigration Attorney, Pasifika Immigration Law Group, LLP
• Jesus Martinez, Executive Director, Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative
• Lazaro Salazar, Immigration Attorney, Lazaro Salazar Law

In this session, we will explore common questions and misconceptions we encounter in our reporting, such as:

• What are the different ways someone can become a U.S. citizen?
• What are the different pathways to immigrate to the United States?
• How is immigration enforcement changing under the Trump administration?

Note, this session is not meant to provide legal advice. Rather, it will address general questions and provide context on the U.S. immigration system as well as the ever-changing nature of immigration enforcement.

This event is free and open to the public.

RSVP and submit your questions here.

This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 12:28 PM.