California Sanctuary Status Would Change Under New Bill

Republicans in California’s State Senate are trying to make changes to sanctuary laws which the Trump administration have said they see as standing in the way of federal immigration enforcement.

A new bill, introduced last week, seeks to stop violent offenders from being “shielded” from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Current laws in place already allow local law enforcement to work with the agency on cases that could involve threats to public safety, but the new measure would force cooperation with ICE.

Newsweek reached out to Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom‘s office for comment via email Tuesday afternoon.

Why It Matters

Sanctuary policies have been viewed by the Trump administration as a barrier to the plans for mass deportations and increased detentions of known illegal immigrant criminals. The administration has already filed lawsuits against the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois as well as New York state over their laws and programs.

Increased immigration enforcement was a key policy area for President Donald Trump during his election campaign, with public opinion showing many voters wanted tougher action on illegal immigrant criminals.

What To Know

Under the bill, introduced by Republican California State Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones, local law enforcement would not get a choice over whether to work with ICE and other federal agents when it comes to immigrants convicted of violent crimes or specific felonies, including child abuse, rape, or gang activity.

Dubbed the Safety Before Criminal Sanctuary Act, Senate Bill 554 (SB 554) is designed to maintain California’s sanctuary law while ensuring communities are kept safe from violent offenders, the coalition behind it said Friday.

“The Safety Before Criminal Sanctuary Act is a commonsense measure to tighten up California’s Sanctuary State policies in favor of public safety,” Jones said in a statement. “Importantly, this bill ensures violent criminals are not shielded from federal immigration authorities, using every tool in the toolbox to keep our communities safe.”

Jones was joined by a group including Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is running to be California’s next governor, and State Senator Marie Issa Alvarado-Gil, a first-generation Mexican American who was elected as a Democrat but switched parties in August 2024.

As the group made the announcement in Sacramento, spurred by San Diego declaring itself as a “super sanctuary” city, protesters gathered nearby to voice their concerns that the bill was a step backward for California, which is home to over 10 million immigrants. Around 2.2 million are thought to be without legal status, according to the American Immigration Council’s 2023 estimates.

The current sanctuary law, passed in 2017 in response to the previous Trump administration’s policies, is similar to others across the country meant to allow immigrants to access police and health care services, as well as schooling, without fear of being handed over to ICE.

A year after its introduction, polling by the University of California, Berkley showed the majority of Californians supported the bill. Since 2018, however, it appears polling on sanctuary laws in the state have been sparse.

Jones, and the wider group behind the bill, said that the idea is to make sure those seen as a danger to others are detained while maintaining provisions for those who have no committed any of the specified crimes.

ICE has come up against sanctuary policies which have prevented its agents from detaining known offenders in California and across the country. Agents in Massachusetts have repeatedly reported that immigration detainers they have issued have been ignored by local sheriff’s or courts, leaving offenders to go free rather than be handed over for removal.

What People Are Saying

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, in a press release: “Instead of protecting immigrant communities, California’s sanctuary state law ensures their continued victimization at the hands of dangerous criminals here illegally. At a minimum, SB 54 must be reformed to allow ICE into our county jails so that we may stop the cycle of victimization and make our communities safer.”

Republican Vista Mayor John Franklin, in a press release: “I support Senator Jones’ legislation because it demands that local jurisdictions cooperate with federal authorities to deport criminal alien murderers, rapists and child molesters. It is incomprehensible that our county board of Supervisors voted to protect these other serious felons.”

Protester Cindy Millican told NBC 7 San Diego at Friday’s briefing: “It’s trying to roll back rights and privileges that people have enjoyed in this area for a long time. I feel compassion toward these people who are being bullied and harassed and terrorized by extremists that have entered our government.”

What Happens Next

Jones is now waiting for the bill to be assigned to a State Senate committee for a hearing. With a State Senate made up by 30 Democrats and 9 Republicans, the likelihood of the bill moving forward is slim.