California Senate advances wave of immigration protection bills

The California State Senate passed close to a dozen bills this week to support immigrant communities and curb the actions federal immigration enforcement agents can take in the state.

Friday is the last day for both the Senate and Assembly to pass bills introduced in each house; both houses finished their floor votes on Thursday. The Assembly passed 22 of its own immigration-related bills this week. While certainly not the only significant topic in each house, immigration did find itself at the core of many Democratic lawmakers legislation packages.

“California will continue to lead the way on protecting communities targeted by the federal government,” Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón said in a statement. “We look forward to working with the Assembly and the Administration to ensure this legislation becomes law.”

On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom wasted no time signing into law a bill introduced by Sen. Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) to curb U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence and other federal officials at polling sites. SB 73 grants the attorney general or Secretary of State the authority to challenge decisions by county registrars to station or deploy law enforcement, including federal agents, at polling sites or county election bureaus.

The bill will also prohibit law enforcement from accessing voting machines without a signed court order and protects the chain of custody of voted ballots.

SB 73 had an urgency clause, meaning as soon as the governor signed it, it went into effect - in time for the June 2 election.

“Senate Bill 73 is a direct response to efforts by the Trump Administration and local electeds to dismantle our democracy piece by piece,” Cervantes said in a statement. “The enactment of SB 73 protects Californians’ sacred right to vote free from fear of intimidation or interference and safeguards the essential integrity of elections in California.”

SB 995, the Masuma Khan Act, passed the Senate with a unanimous vote Thursday. Introduced by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena), the bill was named after a woman in Pérez’ district who was detained during a routine check-in with ICE and narrowly avoided a medical emergency while in detention.

The bill is one of many aimed at increasing oversight in detention facilities and ensuring stronger accountability for the various privately-owned detention centers in the state. It would establish a detailed inspection and compliance framework for operators.

“We must ask the question members, why do these facilities refuse to let law enforcement even inside their doors? That is incredibly concerning,” Pérez said Thursday. She added, “We need stronger oversight. We need stronger accountability.”

Another one of Pérez’ bills that was passed by the Senate this week was SB 1103, a proposed law that would require “large home improvement stores,” like Home Depot, to provide the attorney general any documentation of immigration raids that occur on their property. A popular spot for day laborers looking for work, Home Depot specifically has been the site of various ICE raids.

Sen. Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) SB 1004, a follow up to last year’s proposed mask ban for federal agents, was also sent to the Assembly to be passed. SB 1004 expands the scope of the mask ban to include state law enforcement, after a federal judge ruled the original bill was discriminatory against the federal government.

The senate also approved bills to limit product markups in detention centers to 35%, restrict counties and cities from using new and existing land from building detention facilities and further block local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement operations.