In a move to push back against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics, California legislators passed dozens of bills over the last year to expand oversight of the federal government and its immigration agencies operating in California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed over 20 of those bills into law on Sept. 29 to address Californians
' concerns about federal immigration enforcement and support immigrant families in California."These past two years, Donald Trump has brought fear. He's brought anxiety, disruption, and stress to our immigrant communities," Newsom said in a statement.
"California is taking action to strengthen transparency, accountability, and oversight around immigration enforcement in our state. This is about stepping
up where the federal government has failed our communities. We will continue protecting our people, upholding the rule of law, and making clear that if the federal government operates in California, we will hold them accountable."
Within this package of immigration bills signed by Newsom, several impactful pieces of legislation aim to rein in the federal government in California.
Notably, Senate Bill 747, dubbed the No Kings Act and authored by State Senator Scott Wiener, allows individuals to file a civil lawsuit against government officials, including federal officers, if they believe constitutional rights were violated.
“ICE and Border Patrol have terrorized California communities with impunity. That ends today,” Senator Wiener said in a statement.
“When federal agents act lawlessly, they should be held accountable the same as any other lawbreaker. But for too long, a loophole in the law has shielded them from accountability. The No Kings Act provides long overdue accountability to end the impunity powering ICE and Border Patrol’s terror campaign.”
Additionally, Assembly Bill 1633, authored by Assemblymember Matt Haney, aims to hold for-profit corporations accountable for operating ICE-funded facilities by allowing the state government to impose a new 25% tax on private detention facilities, with revenue directed toward immigration-related services.
“For years, ICE has fueled a system that profits from human suffering and family separation, outsourcing detention to private corporations who rake in profits while people endure dangerous, inhumane conditions,” Haney said in a statement. "Corporations running these facilities are being paid hundreds of millions to detain people in cruelty right here in California, and it has to end."
Immigration advocacy groups like the California Immigrant Policy Center praised Newsom for signing this bill and Assembly Bill 1806, which allows the California Attorney General to investigate any fatal shooting of an unarmed civilian by a federal immigration agent in California.
"This year, California made clear that no one is above the law, and it took direct aim at the profits of corporations tearing families apart,” Masih Fouladi, executive director of the California Immigrant Policy Center said in a statement.
Newsom also signed several bills that would restrict federal agents from using state-owned property to stage or detain people and banned the use of battery-powered gloves capable of delivering brief but painful electric shocks.
However, although the governor signed more than a dozen immigration laws into effect, he also faced pushback for vetoing Assembly Bill 1896, which would have disqualified people who have previously participated in immigration enforcement activities from being hired by state, county, or local public agencies in California.
In his veto message, Newsom noted that although he understood the public's desire to "hold the Trump administration and culpable agents accountable," he believed that this bill was "a step too far."
“It is a mistake to discourage empathetic and qualified Americans from working in the federal government, or choosing to leave long-standing employment with the federal government because they find the current administration’s policies and tactics reprehensible,” Newsom's letter reads.
“Moreover, hiring for state and local government employees already requires specific standards, including evaluations of personal conduct, and any employees who violate those standards would be held accountable.”
Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at npadilla@usatodayco.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social. Sign up for the TODAY Californian newsletter or follow us on Facebook at TODAY Californian.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Newsom signs bills targeting federal immigration in California
