Immigration bills face most scrutiny, but still pass

The California State Legislature is spending several hours on the floor this week voting on the hundreds of bills they plan to send to the governor’s desk. Unsurprisingly, the bills that have faced the most scrutiny so far are the ones related to immigration.

The deadline for the Assembly and Senate to pass non-urgency bills is this Friday. Once a bill successfully passes every committee it goes through, it’s almost a sure-thing it will pass its floor vote. The immigration bill package, however, did have more hoops to jump through on the Assembly floor this week.

While most bills passed smoothly with a quick vote, a handful of bills relating to immigrant support services and anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) faced real-time opposition and back-and-forth.

One of the bills that faced the most scrutiny on Tuesday, the first day of floor session, was Assemblymember Mia Bonta’s (D-Oakland) AB 2624. The bill aims to protect the private information of individuals who provide support services to immigrants, including volunteers and nonprofits.

AB 2624 expands the 30 year old Safe At Home program that is run through the Secretary of State and currently protects domestic violence victims among others. Online controversy has emerged accusing Bonta of trying to silence journalists from reporting on “fraud and abuse,” many Republicans argued Tuesday.

“[This bill] has brought us national attention in all the wrong ways,” Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) said Tuesday. He echoed claims from Nick Shirley, a right-wing online personality that has accused the bill of trying to silence him and others. The assemblymember went on to say the bill violates the First Amendment.

Bonta’s bill seeks to prevent what she described as “doxxing campaigns” by keeping support providers’s addresses and other personal information out of public records. She also called out the misinformation circling on social media about the bill.

“Despite those misinformation campaigns, this bill is very straightforward,” Bonta said. “It allows us to be able to expand … a program to those who are serving our very vulnerable communities … and need our protection.” The bill passed with a 49-19 vote.

A bill that seeks to raise the minimum wage for farmworkers to $19.75 had a long debate Tuesday. Rising in support of AB 2646, Assemblymember Juan Carrillo (D-Palmdale) called the bill an “important step [toward] economic dignity” for farmworkers.

The bill had opposition from Assemblymember David Tangipa (R-Fresno), DeMaio and more GOP lawmakers including Assemblymember Stan Ellis (R-Bakersfield), who said any wage increase “passes right through to the consumer.”

AB 2646 passed with a 51-14 vote.

Wednesday’s floor vote saw the bulk of Democratic lawmakers immigration bills.

AB 1896, the Get The Feds Out (GTFO) Act, would bar individuals who worked with ICE from 2025-2029 from getting a job as a peace officer anywhere in the state. After nearly 15 minutes of debate, the bill passed with a 41-19 vote.

“We choose to say loudly and unapologetically, if you come here to hunt our communities instead of serving them, then GTFO,” Assemblymember Mark González (D-Los Angeles) said. 

DeMaio, one of the most vocal critics of the immigration package, said the GTFO Act is “shameful,” and claimed it will have a negative effect on police recruitment and retention. 

González said the bill is “drawing a moral line in the sand.”

James Gallagher (R-Chico) called the GTFO Act “blatantly unconstitutional" and said it is bound to face legal challenges.

“We feel confident that in standing up for our communities, our immigrant communities, that we will beat any federal challenges,” Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) told reporters Wednesday.

AB 2230, one of the many bills in both the Assembly and Senate relating to ICE at polling places, also faced live criticism Wednesday. The bill also bars immigration enforcement agents from being present at childcare facilities.

In opposition to the bill, Republican lawmakers made reference to debunked claims of widespread voter fraud.

In reference to the bill and the immigration package itself, DeMaio accused Democrats of being “hysterical,” and "untethered from reality.”

Assemblymember Liz Ortega (D-San Leandro) rose in support of AB 2230 and teared up while pointing to her own experience as the child of an immigrant. After a long cross-aisle conversation, AB 2230 ultimately passed with a 42-15 vote.

“Yes, this is personal for many of us and yes there is a theme here today,” Ortega said Wednesday. ”Because this is the reality for us. We're not reading this in books … this is happening today, right here and that is why we have this set of bills today.”

The Assembly also passed bills that will impose a 50% tax on detention facilities, require health care plans and insurers to disclose any investments in ICE and continue CalWORKS payments to families whose children are detained and several more.

All of the bills passed now head to the State Senate.