California's Gen Z, Millennials Sour on Benefits of Migrants

A new survey out of California shows Generation Z and millennials souring on the benefit of immigrants to their state.

California's illegal immigration numbers have risen for three consecutive years, from approximately 260,000 in fiscal year 2021 to 362,000 and 450,000 in fiscal years 2022 and 2023, respectively, according to Customs and Border Protection data. Numbers this current fiscal year have already exceeded 203,000 in a four-month period, with January experiencing about an 11,000-migrant decrease compared to December—the first decline in months.

California has the most "illegal aliens," as well as the most "illegal aliens" who also have children living in the United States, according to the nonpartisan Federation for American Immigration Reform. The tax burden for Californians far exceeds every other state, costing residents in total about $22.82 billion for individual migrants and approximately $30.93 billion when taking children into account, according to FAIR.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has implored illegal migrants to seek refuge in states like California, New Mexico and Arizona due to their "gaping openings."

A new statewide survey published by the Public Policy Institute of California conducted between February 6 and 13 found that younger generations have larger disapproval towards benefits provided to immigrants when compared with a similar PPIC survey published in June 2023.

The question posits: "Please indicate which statement comes closest to your own view—even if neither is exactly right. Immigrants today are a benefit to California because of their hard work and job skills OR immigrants today are a burden to California because they use public services."

Approximately 67 percent of those aged 18-34 called it a benefit to California, down from 80 percent in June.

While 19 percent of that age group said in June that immigrants are a burden to the state due to using public services, that number rose to 32 percent in the latest survey.

Those aged 35-54 and 55-plus who say immigrants are a benefit also slightly fell between June and February, from 70 percent to 65 percent among ages 35-54 and from 52 percent to 51 percent among those 55 years and older.

Mark Baldassare, survey director at the PPIC, told Newsweek via phone on Friday that the results have shifted among younger generations for two main reasons: immigration is more widely viewed as a serious problem, and people are watching what's going on at different levels of government and taking partisan sides.

"The topic is now viewed by many people as a crisis, and that's raised different kinds of concerns than what we've seen in the past," Baldassare said. "There's also partisan disagreement on the topic in Washington D.C. That's reflected in the trends that we see among Republicans and Democrats in all age groups."

California has experienced a surge among different demographics and citizenship, including Indian and Chinese migrants.

Migration from India has accelerated since fiscal year 2021, which concluded in September of that year and after President Joe Biden had been in office for about 10 months. A total of 30,662 migrant encounters involving Indians were recorded at both the northern and southern U.S. borders that year, increasing to 63,927 in fiscal year 2022 and 96,917 in fiscal year 2023.

Between October and December of the current fiscal year (2023-2024), the total encounter count involving Indian migrants is 23,898 individuals.

The U.S. Border Patrol had more than 6,000 encounters with citizens of the People's Republic of China along California's border in December 2023—an all-time high.

However, immigration is more of a partisan issue in California rather than one perceived as vital in the November election, according to PPIC.

The majority of Californians surveyed this month said that jobs, the economy, inflation or homelessness were the most important issues for Governor Gavin Newsom and the State Legislature to work on this year. Immigration was viewed as important by just 10 percent of respondents, trailing issues like housing costs and availability (14 percent) and crime, gangs and drugs (11 percent).

While about 1 in 4 Democrats named homelessness as a top issue, 1 in 4 Republicans said immigration was their main priority. Political independents said jobs, the economy and inflation (19 percent) were the most important, closely followed by housing costs and availability (18 percent).

Majorities of California adults (57 percent) and likely voters (55 percent) believe the state is headed in the wrong direction.

While the economy and cost concerns at gas pumps and grocery stores remain major issues for most voters, Baldassare said immigration will also be on top of people's minds "because so many people now are conscious there's a problem."

"It's a serious problem and there's no solution coming out of Washington," he added. "If anything, there's gridlock."

The PPIC will release statewide surveys in April, June, July, September, October and after the November election.

Update 02/23/24, 1:04 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Mark Baldassare.