California passes 5 new laws to resist Trump’s immigration crackdown

Sacramento, California – California once again placed itself on the front lines of the nation’s immigration battles on Friday, as Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills aimed squarely at checking the Trump administration’s aggressive enforcement tactics. The measures, which limit access to schools, hospitals, and even the ability of immigration officers to conceal their identities, mark one of the most forceful state-level responses to the president’s second-term deportation agenda.

At a signing ceremony in Los Angeles, Newsom framed the legislation as both practical and symbolic. “Immigrants have rights and we have the right to stand up and push back,” he told the crowd. His remarks echoed the defiant tone California struck during Trump’s first presidency, when the state passed a “sanctuary” law to restrict local cooperation with federal agents.

This time, the flashpoint is Senate Bill 627 — dubbed the “No Secret Police Act” — which bars officers from wearing face masks while carrying out operations. The law is the first of its kind in the nation, and it sparked immediate backlash from federal officials and law enforcement groups. The Department of Homeland Security condemned the measure before it was even signed, calling it “despicable” and warning that it put officers at risk of doxxing and retaliation.

Supporters of the law see it differently. Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco, its author, said communities have a right to know who is detaining their neighbors. “ICE’s recklessness creates chaos as agents run around with what are effectively ski masks and no identification, grabbing people, throwing them in unmarked vehicles, and disappearing them,” Wiener argued in hearings. “When law enforcement officers hide their identities, it destroys community trust.”

The other bills Newsom signed reinforce the same principle of transparency. Assembly Bill 49 bars schools from allowing immigration officers on campus without a warrant. Senate Bill 81 extends that protection to health care facilities. Senate Bill 98 requires schools to notify communities when immigration enforcement is present. Together, the laws attempt to create zones of safety around everyday institutions.

Critics, however, questioned whether the state can enforce these laws in the face of federal supremacy over immigration. “You cannot regulate lawful federal conduct, whether the Legislature likes it or not,” said Ed Obayashi, a California law enforcement policy adviser. Police unions also bristled at the mask ban, arguing it would fall more heavily on local officers than federal ones.

For supporters, the potential limits of enforcement don’t diminish the importance of the message. Political consultant Mike Madrid put it bluntly: “California has done what no other state has done: establish itself as the tip of the spear on resisting a lot of these efforts that are an affront to its values. Ninety-nine percent of this is the purview of the federal government. So a lot of it is just symbolic, but symbolism matters.”

Advocates believe symbolism is only the beginning. Shiu-Ming Cheer of the California Immigrant Policy Center said the new laws, if monitored and enforced, could offer real protections for people simply trying to go to school or see a doctor without fear of being detained.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who stood with Newsom at the signing, was even more direct: “All of this legislative resistance is to protect Angelenos from their own federal government. That is profound.”

Whether the courts uphold these laws or not, California has drawn its line — insisting that its communities deserve safety, dignity, and the right to live without the constant fear of being caught in the dragnet.