Here’s how California Democrats want to stop ICE

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California’s Democratic senators on Tuesday advanced a measure that would make it easier for people to sue federal agents for civil rights violations, a bill prompted by concerns about immigration enforcement practices. by the administration of President Donald Trump.

The bill by Senators Scott Wiener and Aisha Wahab, both Bay Area Democrats, gained more prominence after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretty, a US citizen and intensive care nurse, in Minnesota last weekend. Senators debated the measure on the floor for more than 90 minutes before voting along party lines, 30 to 10, to send it to the Assembly.

“It’s a sad reflection of the current situation in this country that this has to be a partisan issue,” Wiener said just before the vote on his bill, also known as the “No Kings Act.” “Red, blue, everyone has constitutional rights. And everyone should be able to hold accountable those who violate those rights.”

It’s one of several bills lawmakers are pushing this year to address escalating aggressive immigration enforcement tactics and protect immigrant communities. They include bills that would tax for-profit detention companies, prohibit law enforcement officers from performing additional duties as federal agents, and attempt to limit court-ordered arrests.

Those efforts follow a series of laws signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year to counter the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign in California, including the nation’s first measure to prohibiting employees from wearing masks and others that limit their access to schools and hospitals.

Although some of these laws facing legal challenges the new batch of proposals offers “practical solutions that are fully within the state’s control,” said Shiu-Ming Chier, deputy director of the California Immigrant Policy Center.

Here’s an overview of some of the key bills lawmakers are considering:

No extra work as a federal agent

Rep. Isaac Bryan, D-Culver City, has authored a bill that would prohibit law enforcement officers from taking a side job as a federal immigration agent.

At a news conference in San Francisco earlier this month, Bryan said the move is particularly timely as the federal administration ramps up recruitment of local law enforcement officers in California.

“We have not cooperated in the kidnapping of members of our own community, but there is a loophole in state law,” he said. “Until you can cooperate with ICE in your job as a police officer, you can take a second job at the Department of Homeland Security. And I don’t think that’s right.”

In an interview with CalMatters, Bryan said the legislation aims to provide transparency and accountability and close that loophole.

“The federal government has created not only a secret police force, but a secret military, at the expense of health care, social safety nets and key benefits that the American people need and depend on to survive,” Bryan said. “All these resources are diverted to a militarized force that patrols our streets without any control and literally kills American citizens.”

Keep ICE off the courts

Sen. Eloise Gomez Reyes, D-San Bernardino, has introduced legislation to prevent federal immigration agents from carrying out “unannounced and indiscriminate” arrests in court.

“The problem is obvious,” said Gomez Reyes. “One of the primary responsibilities of government is to protect people, not terrorize them. California will not allow the federal government to make political targets of those who try to follow the law. Discouraging people from going to court makes our community less safe.”

The legislation was introduced nearly two weeks after a federal judge ordered the US Department of Justice end civil arrests in Northern California immigration courts ruling that its deportation policies failed to address the “crippling effects, security risks and impact on hearing attendance.”

Efforts to strengthen protections in California courtrooms were also supported by Sen. Susan Rubio, D-West Covina, who present an account which would allow remote court appearances for most civil or criminal state court hearings, trials or conferences through January 2029.

Taxes on Detention Centers

Rep. Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, has introduced a bill that would impose a 50 percent tax on profits from immigration detention centers. More than 5,700 people are detained in seven immigration detention centers in California three of which are in Kern County.

The growing “resistance”

Cheer of the California Immigrant Policy Center said the early introduction of the bills indicates greater urgency on the part of the state Legislature to address immigration enforcement issues.

“My hope for this year is that the state can be as bold and innovative as possible given the crisis that communities are facing because of immigration enforcement,” he said.

That means securing funding for lawyers to represent people facing deportation, addressing gaps in state laws about sharing information with the federal government and investigating companies that directly profit from the business of arresting and deporting people, Cheer said.

Republicans have criticized the measures, which they say go beyond federal priorities.

“Nobody likes to see what happens in Minnesota. Nobody wants this to happen in California,” said Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach. Instead, he argued, cities and states should abandon their so-called “sanctuary” policies, which make coordination between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities difficult.

He also criticized Democrats for taking up valuable Senate time to prepare for what-if scenarios instead of addressing California’s existing problems.

“At the end of the day, we have very serious problems here in California, and we need to start focusing on California-specific problems.”

Kevin Johnson, an immigration law professor and former dean of the UC Davis School of Law, said state and local governments are trying to determine how far they can go in resisting federal immigration measures, given Trump’s threats to defund so-called sanctuary cities.

“While there is concern and fear in immigrant communities, the support expressed by state and local officials provides some comfort,” he said. “As the Trump administration steps up its aggressive deportation tactics across the country, California steps up its resistance.”

CalMatters reporter Wendy Fry contributed to this story.

Kayla Michalovich is an intern at California Local News.