California has the largest immigrant population of any state in the nation. In 2024, 28% of California’s total population was foreign-born, more than double the national average of 14.8%, with roughly 10.9 million immigrants calling California home. Nearly half of all California children (44%) have at least one immigrant parent. The state’s immigrant communities span every nationality, with the largest populations from Mexico (3.95 million), the Philippines (856,000), China (823,000), India (626,000), Vietnam (514,000), and El Salvador (456,000).
California’s immigration landscape is simultaneously one of the most supportive and most contested in the country. The state has enacted protective laws, including sanctuary state policies, access to state driver’s licenses for all residents regardless of status, and in-state tuition for undocumented students, while also being at the center of federal enforcement escalation. As of early 2026, ICE has arrested over 5,800 immigrants statewide since January 2025, a 123% increase over 2024.
As California’s home-state immigration lawyer, Aftalion Law Group has its primary office at 8383 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 625, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. We serve clients throughout Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, and every community across the state with both in-person and remote representation.
California’s immigrant workforce is the engine of the state’s $4 trillion economy. In technology, Silicon Valley, the Los Angeles tech corridor, and San Diego’s biotech sector employ hundreds of thousands of H-1B, O-1, L-1, and EB-category visa holders. In agriculture, the Central Valley and Salinas Valley produce over a third of the nation’s vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts, relying heavily on immigrant labor and H-2A seasonal workers. In healthcare, construction, hospitality, manufacturing, and the service sector, immigrants represent a disproportionate share of the workforce.
California is home to approximately 160,000 active DACA recipients, more than any other state. The state also has the largest population of TPS holders, the largest undocumented population (estimated at 1.8 million), and the most diverse array of immigrant nationalities in the country. Every major immigration issue in the United States plays out at scale in California.
California has more immigration courts than any other state, and the range of outcomes across those courts is staggering. According to TRAC Immigration data from Syracuse University covering fiscal years 2020 through 2025, asylum denial rates among California judges range from 2.1% (Judge Levine in San Francisco) to 99.6% (Judge Riley in Los Angeles North). No other state illustrates the importance of judge assignment more dramatically.
Los Angeles operates two immigration courthouses handling non-detained cases, plus courts in Van Nuys and Santa Ana serving the greater metro area. Together, the LA court system is among the three largest in the country by caseload.
Los Angeles North: 606 S. Olive St., Los Angeles, CA 90014 Los Angeles WLA: 606 S. Olive St. (separate docket) Van Nuys: 6230 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91401 Santa Ana: 31 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Five judges across the Los Angeles courts illustrate the range:
Judge | Court | Decisions | Asylum Denial Rate | What This Means for Case Prep |
Kim, Peter A. | LA North | 458 | 33.6% | Among the most favorable in LA; well-documented cases with strong testimony can succeed |
Stancill, Christine E. | LA WLA | 597 | 45.1% | Middle of the bench; demands thorough, organized evidence packages |
Travieso, Frank M. | LA North | 1,618 | 76.6% | Highest volume in LA; expects concise, well-prepared filings and strict deadline adherence |
Francis, Leon J. | LA WLA | 554 | 90.6% | High denial; cases require expert witness testimony and comprehensive corroboration |
Riley, Kevin W. | LA North | 248 | 99.6% | Near-total denial; virtually no asylum grants in recent fiscal years |
Address: 100 Montgomery St., Suite 800, San Francisco, CA 94104
The San Francisco court had over 120,000 pending cases in fiscal year 2025, with an average wait of 914 days. In January 2026, the administration announced the planned closure of the Montgomery Street courthouse, further disrupting Northern California cases. San Francisco has the widest range of any court in the country.
Judge | Decisions | Asylum Denial Rate |
Levine, Shira M. | 1,165 | 2.1% |
Deiss, Ila C. | 1,944 | 5.6% |
Kirchner, Steven M. | 1,274 | 39.0% |
Seminerio, Frank A. | 2,083 | 65.6% |
Aina, Nathan N. | 189 | 94.2% |
The difference between a 2.1% and 94.2% denial rate on the same bench is extraordinary. San Francisco is the most favorable court in the country for asylum seekers when you draw the right judge, and one of the harshest when you do not.
San Diego: 880 Front St., San Diego, CA 92101 (high-volume border court) Sacramento: 650 Capitol Mall, Sacramento, CA 95814 (wide range, including Judge Maggard at 5.4% denial) Imperial: Calexico, CA (border court) Concord: opened 2024 to ease SF backlog, already facing judge shortages
Adelanto Immigration Court at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center handles detained cases from the High Desert region. Denial rates range from 51.1% to 95.1%.
Otay Mesa Immigration Court at the Otay Mesa Detention Facility near San Diego handles detained border cases. Full data at the TRAC Immigration Judge Reports page.
Appeals from all California courts go to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), and further appeal goes to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, historically the most favorable circuit for immigration cases.
California has multiple ICE detention facilities spread across the state:
Adelanto ICE Processing Center
Address: 1394 N. Rancho Road, Adelanto, CA 92301
Operator: GEO Group
Capacity: Approximately 1,940 beds
Otay Mesa Detention Facility
Address: 7488 Calzada de la Fuente, San Diego, CA 92154
Operator: CoreCivic
Capacity: Approximately 1,500 beds
Imperial Regional Detention Facility Address:
1572 Gateway Road, Calexico, CA 92231
Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center
Address: 425 Golden State Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301
Operator: GEO Group
Despite California’s sanctuary state law (SB 54), which limits state and local law enforcement cooperation with ICE, federal agents operate independently within the state and have dramatically increased arrests in 2025 and 2026. If your family member has been taken into ICE custody anywhere in California, they could be held at any of these facilities.
Do not wait. Call Aftalion Law Group at (424) 270-6767 immediately. Our attorneys can locate your family member through the ICE Online Detainee Locator, appear at their bond hearing at the Adelanto or Otay Mesa Immigration Court, argue for their release, and build their defense. You can also call the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line at 1-888-351-4024.
California is a sanctuary state under SB 54, which limits state and local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. However, ICE operates independently within the state, and federal enforcement has escalated dramatically.
5,800+ arrests since January 2025. ICE has arrested over 5,800 immigrants statewide since January 2025, a 123% increase over 2024. Operations have targeted private homes, workplaces, bus stops, store parking lots, and neighborhoods near schools and churches. The scale of enforcement in California is unprecedented in recent decades.
Sanctuary protections are limited. SB 54 prevents state and local police from asking about immigration status or participating in ICE operations, but it does not prevent ICE from operating independently. Federal agents can and do conduct operations throughout California without local law enforcement participation.
Workplace enforcement. ICE I-9 audits and worksite operations affect California’s agriculture, construction, hospitality, and manufacturing sectors. The Central Valley and Salinas Valley agricultural operations are particularly exposed.
Driver’s licenses. California issues driver’s licenses to all residents regardless of immigration status under AB 60. However, these licenses are marked “Federal Limits Apply” and cannot be used for federal identification purposes.
Sensitive locations. The 2025 revision to ICE’s sensitive locations policy has particular impact in California, where community organizations, churches, and schools have served as informal safe spaces for immigrant communities.
If ICE comes to your home or workplace, you have constitutional rights regardless of your immigration status. Read our full guide on what to do if ICE comes to your door.
If you or a loved one has been contacted by ICE, arrested, or received a Notice to Appear in California, call (424) 270-6767 now.
California has more USCIS offices than any other state:
USCIS Los Angeles Field Office: 300 N. Los Angeles St., Room 1001, Los Angeles, CA 90012
USCIS San Francisco Field Office: 630 Sansome St., San Francisco, CA 94111
USCIS San Jose Field Office: 1887 Monterey Road, San Jose, CA 95112
USCIS Sacramento Field Office: 650 Capitol Mall, Sacramento, CA 95814
USCIS San Diego Field Office: 880 Front St., San Diego, CA 92101
USCIS Santa Ana Field Office: 34 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Mail-in applications from California are processed by the USCIS California Service Center or the National Benefits Center. As of mid-2026, processing times for key applications are:
Form | Purpose | Estimated Processing Time |
I-130 | Family petition (spouse of U.S. citizen) | 11 to 17 months |
I-130 | Family petition (other preference categories) | 15 to 26 months |
I-485 | Adjustment of status | 10 to 26 months |
N-400 | Naturalization / citizenship | 5 to 10 months |
I-90 | Green card renewal | 18 to 24 months |
I-751 | Removal of conditions | 18 to 30 months |
Processing times vary by field office. California Service Center times may differ from national averages. Verify at the USCIS Processing Times page.
When delays exceed published processing times, a federal mandamus lawsuit can compel USCIS to act. Aftalion Law Group files mandamus actions on behalf of California residents whose cases have stalled.
Aftalion Law Group handles the full spectrum of immigration and criminal defense matters for California clients. With our primary office in Beverly Hills, California clients have access to both in-person consultations and remote representation.
California’s scale and diversity demand broad expertise. Removal defense is urgent given the 123% increase in ICE arrests. Asylum is critical for Central American, Chinese, and South Asian applicants. Employment-based immigration (H-1B, O-1, EB-1, EB-2 NIW) serves the tech, biotech, and entertainment sectors. DACA support for California’s 160,000 recipients is an ongoing priority. Federal mandamus actions are increasingly valuable for cases stuck in courts facing judge shortages and closures.
California is Aftalion Law Group’s home state. Our Beverly Hills office at 8383 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 625 puts us at the center of Southern California’s immigration landscape, with direct access to the Los Angeles Immigration Court, the USCIS Los Angeles Field Office, and the region’s largest immigrant communities.
We know the judges across California’s 10+ immigration courts. We monitor the San Francisco courthouse closure and its impact on Northern California cases. We track the Adelanto and Otay Mesa detained court dockets. We understand how the Ninth Circuit’s precedent affects case strategy in ways that attorneys outside California may not.
For California’s tech sector, we bring deep experience with H-1B, O-1, EB-1, and EB-2 NIW petitions. For California’s 160,000 DACA recipients, we provide renewals, advance parole, adjustment of status for eligible recipients, and ongoing legal planning amid program uncertainty. For families facing ICE enforcement, we provide urgent removal defense with the courtroom experience that comes from practicing in one of the busiest immigration markets in the country.
We serve clients in English and Spanish throughout the state.
Los Angeles County (Los Angeles)
San Diego County (San Diego)
Orange County (Anaheim, Santa Ana)
Santa Clara County (San Jose)
San Francisco County (San Francisco)
Alameda County (Oakland)
Sacramento County (Sacramento)
Riverside County (Riverside)
San Bernardino County (San Bernardino)
Ventura County (Oxnard)
Los Angeles
San Diego
San Francisco
San Jose
Oakland
Sacramento
Long Beach
Fresno
Anaheim
Santa Ana
Riverside
Bakersfield
Stockton
Chula Vista
No matter where you are in California, our team is ready to assist you with your immigration needs.
If you live in California and need immigration help, whether for a family petition, an employment visa, a citizenship application, deportation defense, or a loved one in ICE detention, Aftalion Law Group is here to fight for you.
Schedule a free consultation with Aftalion Law Group immigration lawyers and contact us to discuss your case today.
Call (424) 270-6767 now for a free case evaluation.
California has more immigration courts than any other state, including courts in Los Angeles (multiple), San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Santa Ana, Van Nuys, Concord, and Imperial, plus detained courts at Adelanto and Otay Mesa.
Yes. SB 54 limits state and local law enforcement cooperation with ICE. However, ICE operates independently within California and has arrested over 5,800 immigrants statewide since January 2025.
ICE detention facilities in California include the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, Otay Mesa Detention Facility, Imperial Regional Detention Facility, and Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center. Search for a detained family member at the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Then call Aftalion Law Group at (424) 270-6767.
Yes. California issues driver’s licenses to all residents under AB 60 regardless of immigration status. These licenses are marked “Federal Limits Apply.”
Processing times vary by field office and petition type. California has six USCIS field offices with different processing speeds. Check the USCIS Processing Times page for current estimates by office.
