Immigration Enforcement Leads To Political Activism Among California Latinos

Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, July 22, 2025…

• Could the Trump administration’s aggressive – and some would argue illegal – immigration raids spark the beginnings of a new political movement that unites Latinos? For some in California, it already has.
• A group of Democratic state senators are proposing a bill aimed at stabilizing gas prices, but environmental groups are pushing back. 
• The Pentagon says it’s pulling 700 Marines out of Los Angeles.

How Immigration Raids Could Lead To More Activism In California

It’s around 6:20 on a Tuesday morning in a parking lot in Escondido, a suburb 45 minutes north of San Diego. Bryan, who didn’t want his last name used for fear of retribution, is on patrol looking for federal immigration agents. It’s organized by Union del Barrio, which trains volunteers to both alert the community and bear witness.

Until joining this patrol a couple months ago, Bryan said he went to a few protests, but never got involved in community organizing, even during President Trump’s first administration. “I feel like his administration’s gotten a lot more violent. They have been doing stuff way off the books,” he said. “I mean, in his first administration there were ICE raids, but nothing to what we’re seeing now.”

The last time California Latinos were politically activated in mass was in the 1990s. Prop 187 was on the ballot and it threatened to take away all public services – including K-12 schooling – from undocumented immigrants. “The difference between this moment and all of the moments of our past is all of the moments of our past were us working and fighting to say, we are American,” said Mike Madrid, a political strategist and author of the book “Latino Century: How America’s Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy.”

Madrid said today, he’s seeing a generation of Mexican-Americans who are citizens and their message is – we’re entitled to certain rights and so is our community. He also sees this moment bringing Latino communities, who don’t always get along, together.

Democrats Look To Stabilize Gas Prices

A group of Democratic state senators have proposed a bill that they hope will stabilize gas prices in the state. But some environmental groups are pushing back.

California only uses a lower-emissions gasoline mixture that is unique to the state. This blend has been used for decades as a way to cut back on car emissions. This bill could change that. Among its proposals is one that would allow the state to use other, less emissions-efficient gasoline blends.

Senator Jerry McNerney is one of the legislators who introduced the bill. He sees it as an important measure to pass before two in-state oil refineries shut down next year. “We only have a limited number in California now. And if one of those refinery shuts down, we’ll see an extreme shortage and gas prices will spike,” he said.

But environmental groups argue the bill will lead to higher emissions and sacrifice the health of impacted communities.

Pentagon To Withdraw Marines From LA This Week

The Pentagon says 700 U.S. Marines sent to Los Angeles by President Donald Trump during immigration protests more than a month ago will be withdrawn from the city.

Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Sean Parnell said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the “redeployment” of the Marines and said their presence had sent a message that “lawlessness will not be tolerated.” “Their rapid response, unwavering discipline and unmistakable presence were instrumental in restoring order and upholding the rule of law,” Parnell said.

Local political and law enforcement leaders denounced the deployment, saying the show of force was not needed and only inflamed tensions. The members of the military ended up guarding federal buildings in downtown L.A. and Westwood.