California State Senate Advances Eleven Policies to Protect Immigrant Communities
What you need to know: The California State Senate is taking action to protect immigrants in California by limiting overreach from the federal government and enforcement agencies, providing more oversight of detention centers, and making reporting of incidents more transparent.
SACRAMENTO – This week, the California State Senate advanced eleven bills that protect our communities from ongoing threats from the federal administration. Immigrants in California are living in fear as immigration enforcement has become more intense and even fatal. These bills tackle some of the concerns among Californians. The Senate is proud to advance these bills to protect all of our communities from abuses of authority, ensuring due process, and equal protection under the law for all Californians.
“California will continue to lead the way on protecting communities targeted by the federal government. Thank you to the Senators for authoring these critical bills that push for accountability on the state and federal level. We look forward to working with the Assembly and the Administration to ensure this legislation becomes law.”
Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón
Since immigration enforcement actions began, six people have died while being held in California immigration detention centers. Additionally, watchdog reports have outlined the disturbing conditions inside these facilities. Numerous people have been detained while attending immigration court hearings and members of our communities have been seriously injured while exercising their right to protest. The Senate takes these incidents seriously and has quickly moved to put the proper guardrails in place.
Senate Bills 873, 938, 937, 1399, and 995 seek to address these callous actions and show that the California State Senate has once again emphasized our commitment to maintaining state authority to address federal overreach.
“Federal immigration enforcement agents have terrorized our communities, using tactics and weapons that have put lives at risk and threatened people’s constitutional rights. We cannot stand by while our streets are militarized and our children’s safety is endangered. SB 937 will restrict the use of flashbangs and explosive breaching devices during protests and immigration enforcement, ensuring these dangerous military-style weapons are not used against peaceful protestors and people who pose no threat to public safety.”
Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach)
ADDITIONAL BILLS ADVANCED BY THE STATE THIS WEEK
SB 1257 (Senator Arreguín): Requires the Attorney General to publish an annual report detailing when immigration enforcement incidents happen at designated safe places including schools, hospitals, shelters, and courthouses.
SB 1367 (Senator Cervantes): Restricts counties and cities from using new land and existing land from building detention facilities.
SB 1103 (Senator Pérez): Requires large home improvement stores to give the Attorney General any documentation of immigration raids on the property, including video footage. It also requires these retailers to put policies related to immigration enforcement on websites available to the public.
SB 1105 (Senator Pérez): Blocks local law enforcement from entering agreements with federal agents carrying out immigration enforcement operations. Federal officers cannot operate with state police powers outside of their federal jurisdictions.
SB 1171 (Senator Caballero): Program administrators in charge of state grants and loan programs cannot release funds to private groups that have contracts or do business with ICE.
SB 942 (Senator Caballero): Requires for-profit immigration detention facilities to register with the State Department of Public Health to provide more oversight over the safety of those held in confinement.
BILLS ALREADY IN THE ASSEMBLY
SB 1194 (Senator Caballero): Establishes the Immigration Legal Fellowship Project (ILFP) within the Department of Social Services (DSS) to expand access to high-quality immigration legal services.
SB 1323 (Senator Rubio): Strengthens protections under SB 81 (Arreguín, 2025) related to immigration enforcement access to patients and patient information and clarifies procedures for responding to family notification requests.
SB 1004 (Senator Wiener): Extends existing law enforcement agency requirements for facial coverings to statewide law enforcement agencies and peace officers employed by those agencies.
SB 1013 (Senator Cervantes): Strengthens privacy and accountability protections for Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) systems by enhancing safeguards governing employee access, use, and handling of collected data.
SB 941 (Senator Padilla): Limits canteen markups in private detention facilities to 35%, aligning standards more closely with state prison regulations.
WHAT YOUR SENATORS ARE SAYING
Senator Sasha Renée Pérez: “Three key pieces of my legislative package have passed the Senate. These bills will respond to the current federal administration’s actions that have resulted in discriminatory targeting communities of color and immigrant communities. SB 995, the Masuma Khan Justice Act, is rooted in the simple principle that if detention centers operate in California, they must meet California’s standards. This bill would establish an inspection and compliance framework, so people held in these prisons aren’t treated inhumanely. SB 1103, the Responsible Enterprise and Public Accounting of Immigration Raids (REPAIR) Act, would require large home improvement retailers to publicly report immigration enforcement activity on their premises and disclose their policies on surveillance data-sharing and employee interactions with immigration authorities. And SB 1105, the Protect California Rights Act, would prohibit state and local law enforcement from participating in federal operations that violate state laws such as racial or identity profiling and the criminalization of protected speech.”
Senator Caroline Menjivar: “When federal agents swept through California under the direction of the Trump Administration, their racial profiling and unlawful immigration enforcement created a climate of fear that shattered the trust built between our communities and our law enforcement agencies. That is why SB 938 will dictate that an ICE agent who was hired after January 20, 2025 will not be allowed to receive a lateral waiver, granting exemptions from our POST training requirements. Given the short training individuals received during the rush to hire immigration officers we need to ensure they get the same high level training that our local law enforcement officers get.”
Senator Sabrina Cervantes: “California has a crucial responsibility to ensure that its land use policies do not enable human rights abuses, including the repurposing of warehouses to detention centers. It is time to take a stand and enact legislation to prevent these improper uses that impact those being detained.”
Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes: “California is not going to let the federal government make political targets out of people trying to be good stewards of the law,” said Senator Reyes. “Indiscriminate arrests in and around California courts by unidentified federal agents without proper warrants are unreasonable, unjust, and unlawful – and ultimately make our communities less safe. SB 873 makes constitutional protections explicit, and I look forward to continuing this conversation with my colleagues in the Assembly.”
Senator Jesse Arreguín: “When the Trump Administration goes after California residents, we will resist, document, and hold accountable those who cause harm. SB 1257 will bring transparency to immigration enforcement in California, strengthen public trust, and help ensure that violations of the law are documented and addressed. We need clear data on the scope of these incidents so state leaders can respond effectively and uphold the rights of our communities.”
Senator Anna Caballero: “California is stronger when we protect the people who live, work, and raise families in our communities. This package of Senate immigration bills reflects our state’s commitment to dignity, fairness, and public safety by ensuring immigrant families have the opportunity to succeed and thrive. SB 942 is a critical step in protecting public health and strengthening community safety by bringing state oversight to private, for-profit immigration detention facilities. This bill establishes enforceable standards for health, safety, and humane treatment during confinement. The bill does not endorse the detention system. Rather, it ensures that those inside are not denied basic protections. We cannot ignore the reality that without accountability, people are suffering. California must protect those detained and hold operators accountable. When we protect immigrant communities, we protect California’s future.”
Senator Durazo: "The Senate's vote is a statement that California will not look away. Current law requires Cal DOJ to review immigration detention facilities and report on conditions of confinement, the standard of care, and how conditions impact the due process rights of detained individuals. But that requirement is set to sunset on July 1, 2027. SB 1399 removes the sunset provision. Cal DOJ's reports have documented deaths, inadequate care, and conditions that fail even the federal government's own standards. As long as people are being detained in California, the public has a right to know what is happening inside those facilities.”
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