California governor signs bills pushing back on federal immigration enforcement

LOS ANGELES (CN) — California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a series of bills Saturday targeting what he calls the chaos of the Trump administration and its immigration raids that have terrorized communities and endangered public safety.

The bills restrict immigration enforcement in schools and health care facilities, requiring federal agents to show ID and have a judge’s order to enter. Perhaps the most high-profile of the bills, Senate Bill 627 by San Francisco Democratic state Senator Scott Wiener, bans local and federal authorities from wearing masks on duty, with some exceptions.

Moments before signing the bills, Newsom criticized Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying ICE agents avoid accountability and oversight when they do not have to identify themselves.

“That is not the America we grew up in,” he added. “It’s like a dystopian sci-fi movie.

“We have the right to stand up and push back and that is what we are doing here today,” Newsom added moments later.

Newsom’s office argued that Trump and Miller care only for arresting, detaining and removing people. ICE agents have wrongly arrested American citizens while hiding their identities and damaging transparency, it claimed.

“You’re going to go out and do enforcement, provide an ID,” Newsom said.

The signing marks the latest clash between Newsom and Trump over immigration. Newsom has condemned the president for sending the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles after immigration protests earlier this year, saying the state must defend its values.

Wiener’s bill drew sharp Republican criticism. Some argued federal officers need masks to protect them from doxing, while others argued California does not possess the authority to regulate officer uniforms. Republicans also noted the bill doesn’t cover state officers.

“Federalism, Gavin, read up on it,” Assemblymember and Minority Leader Emeritus James Gallagher posted on X, arguing the law would have no effect on federal agents.

Wiener, in a statement, thanked Newsom for what he called combating Trump’s assault on the state.

“As this authoritarian regime seeks to demolish our constitutional rights and engages in a straight up terror campaign, California is meeting the Trump administration’s secret police tactics with strength and defiance,” Wiener said. “The No Secret Police Act is a bold step that builds on a remarkable record of leadership defending our immigrant communities and democracy itself.”

Many of the bills focus on how state officials deal with federal immigration authorities in schools and public spaces like hospitals.

Assembly Bill 49 — written by Assemblymember All Muratsuchi, a Torrance Democrat — prohibits California school employees from allowing someone conducting immigration enforcement to enter a school without showing a valid judicial warrant or court order. It also forbids schools from giving information about students, teachers and employees to immigration officers.

“Students cannot learn if they are living in fear,” Muratsuchi said at the bill signing. “Keep ICE out of our schools.”

Senate Bill 81 is similar. Written by state Senator Jesse Arreguín, a Berkeley Democrat, the bill prohibits health care entities from giving access to immigration authorities to nonpublic areas of their facility, unless they have a judge’s warrant or order.

Senate Bill 98, by Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, a Pasadena Democrat, requires school districts and charters to include parent and staff notifications in safety plans when immigration enforcement occurs. California State University, California Community College systems and all Cal Grant qualifying entities must also notify certain people, with the University of California Regents asked to do the same.

Newsom also signed Senate Bill 805, also by Pérez, requiring law enforcement agencies to adopt policies on visibly displaying ID. Officers out of uniform must wear visible ID with a name or badge number when on duty, and the law expands the offense of impersonating a peace officer.

“The signing of this immigration bill package is a major win for our communities, delivering stronger protections in the face of egregious immigration raids and escalating authoritarian attacks on our freedoms,” said state Senator Lena Gonzalez, a Long Beach Democrat and chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, in a statement. “These new laws set important guardrails so that immigrant families can feel safe whether they are at school, at the doctor, or in their own neighborhood.”