Newsom signs legislation to protect immigrant communities

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a comprehensive package of immigration legislation on Saturday that will create more protections for immigrant communities from President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

During a press conference at Miguel Contreras Elementary School attended by local and state representatives and educational leaders, Newsom signed five bills into law. Senate Bills 81, 805, 98 and Assembly Bill 49 went into effect immediately following the governor’s signature. Senate Bill 627, the No Secret Police Act, will go into effect beginning January 1, 2026.

“The spirit of these five bills that I’ll be signing here in a moment is about accountability, accountability that is long overdue,” said Newsom on Saturday. He added, “We’re here in Los Angeles, the most diverse city in the most diverse state, California, in the world's most diverse democracy. It’s a point of pride.”

“At our best, we don't tolerate that diversity, at our best we celebrate that diversity … our status is unique in the United States of America,” said Newsom. “It’s what makes California great. It’s what makes America great and it's under assault by this administration.”

SB 81, authored by Senator Jesse Arreguin (D-Oakland) protects patient privacy in health care. Medical providers will be required to deny access to immigration authorities trying to enter nonpublic areas of health care facilities without a judicial warrant or court order. The bill also restricts the disclosure of medical information for immigration enforcement operations. 

Two of the bills signed on Saturday are specifically geared toward limiting immigration enforcement in schools.

“We are one in L.A. Unified … despite these injustices, despite the fear, despite the pressures and despite the unbearable lack of humanity, our kids are soaring,” said Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. “For the second year in a row, these students of immigrants and native-born alike have provided best-in-class achievements … they have turned the impossible into the inevitable, despite the fact that they are living in impossible conditions.”

SB 98, the Sending Alerts to Families in Education (SAFE) Act, authored by Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) requires public K-12 schools and higher education institutions to send out alerts to their students, parents and staff when there is immigration enforcement on campus.

Assembly Bill 49, the California Safe Haven Schools and Child Care Act, introduced by Assembly Member Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) will prohibit school and child care employees from allowing ICE officers onto a school or child care facility for any reason, without proper identification, a statement of purpose, a warrant and approval from the superintendent or director of the child care facility.

AB 49 also requires that if ICE officials are allowed to enter the school site or care facility, their access is to be restricted to where students or children are not present.

Senate Bills 627 and 805 are two more accountability bills in direct response to how ICE has carried out raids in the past few months. 

SB 805, the No Vigilantes Act, will require any law enforcement officer operating in California, that is not uniformed, to visibly display identification that includes their agency and either a name or badge number. The bill went into effect as soon as Newsom signed it.

“We will always remember this time,” said Senate Majority Leader and Chair of the Latino Legislative Caucus Lena Gonzalez, adding “President Trump, you will go down as the worst president in the history of the United States. You are a racist and even when you kidnap our children and you separate our families ... we will still be resilient and fight back. That is the California way.”

The last bill signed by Newsom on Saturday, SB 627, the No Secret Police Act, will prohibit local, state and federal enforcement officers from covering their faces with masks while on duty in the state. There are limited exemptions, including masks and helmets needed during SWAT operations or for medical reasons. This bill will go into effect beginning next year.

“Immigrants have rights and we have the right to stand up and push back and that's what we're doing here today,” said Newsom. “... We are pushing back firmly, we're pushing back using not only our formal authority, but perhaps the most important authority, and that’s our moral authority.”