Zócalo Public Square

California has exited a long period of high immigration, during which it struggled with whether and how to welcome newcomers. But other parts of the United States are still in the midst of reckoning with immigration and the questions it poses. What did California get right—and what did California do wrong—during its immigration wave? How many of the Golden State’s successes in integrating immigrants were a result of government and policy, and what is the product of our open culture and laissez-faire attitude about so many things? UC Immigrant Legal Services Center executive director Maria Blanco, Elk Grove Mayor Steve Ly, California state director of Immigrant Integration Daniel Torres, and moderator Foon Rhee, a columnist and associate editor for The Sacramento Bee, discussed these issues in a Zócalo/The California Wellness Foundation event titled “What Can California Teach America About Immigrant Integration?” at Sacramento’s Capital Center.