California Senate Passes Dangerous Sanctuary Bill



Just when you thought California’s policies obstructing immigration enforcement could not get worse, the California Senate passed Senate Bill (SB) 54 to make it virtually impossible for law enforcement to cooperate with federal officials. By passing SB 54, the California Senate dangerously prioritizes the interests of criminal aliens, many of whom are deportable and have no legal right to remain in the country, over public safety of the general public. The Senate approved SB 54 with a 27-12, or party line, vote.

As a result of California’s 2013 TRUST Act, current law prohibits state and local law enforcement from complying with detainer requests from ICE in nearly all circumstances. Law enforcement agencies are only permitted to honor a detainer if the criminal in custody has already been convicted of one of a few violent crimes. Otherwise, law enforcement in California must release criminal aliens back into communities after they become eligible for release, despite the fact that they may have been charged with violent, predatory offenses.

SB 54 worsens California’s existing sanctuary law by making almost all forms of cooperation with federal immigration officials unlawful and will allow criminal aliens, even those convicted of the most serious crimes, to escape immigration enforcement. In addition to prohibiting compliance with all detainer requests, SB 54 prohibits law enforcement from notifying federal officials of a criminal’s release date or any other personal information, allowing federal officials access to criminal aliens in custody for the purpose of conducting interviews or any other purpose, or participating in the federal 287(g) program, among other things. The 287(g) program is a federal program authorized by law that allows state and local law enforcement officers to undergo training and become certified to perform certain immigration enforcement related tasks.

The California State Sheriffs Association opposes SB 54 and slammed it at a press conference in March. “If SB 54 passes, it will allow dangerous, violent career criminals to slip through the cracks and be released back into our communities,” Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones told reporters.

Senator Jeff Stone (R-38) was also vocal in his opposition to SB 54. “We’re prohibiting local and state unfettered communications with federal authorities in getting many dangerous and violent felons out of our communities,” Stone said. “How many Kate Steinle’s do we need?” he begged. Kate Steinle’s fatal shooting in July 2015 ignited outrage nationwide after it was revealed that the shooter was a criminal alien who had been released from law enforcement custody pursuant to San Francisco’s sanctuary policy. As a result, lawmakers from at least 25 states have introduced legislation this year to ban such policies.

The California Assembly must approve SB 54 before it can be sent to Governor Jerry Brown’s desk for consideration. Given the overwhelming number of pro-illegal immigration Democrats in California’s Assembly, approval is essentially a foregone conclusion.

About Author

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Dan is the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)'s President after joining the organization in 1982. He has testified more than 50 times before Congress, and been cited in the media as "America's best-known immigration reformer." Dan has appeared on virtually every significant TV and radio news/talk program in America and, in addition to being a contributing editor to ImmigrationReform.com, has contributed commentaries to a vast number of print media outlets.

32 Comments

    • avatar

      I hear you. I would be fine with southern CA leaving the union and joining with Mexico, as they already act as if they don’t belong to the Unites States. The actions of the CA Senate are treasonous. They are protecting many criminal aliens, including gang members and possibly some Islamic terrorists. Screw them!

  1. avatar

    STATE OF JEFFERSON 51, 52, …Stream & listen to KCNR Sunday morning shows for latest updates. Court cases. “State Of Jefferson”, Sovereign Minds”, & “We, The People”. People, places, land, water, wildlife &… news. SOJ51.net. Please consider being a SOJ volunteer at Ca. county fairs, etc.. Help rally Sally & Terry R.
    Thank you.

  2. avatar
    Fortunatly a former californian on

    With California’s example , we can all pick and choose which laws to obey. Youre stopped for speeding , just tell the patrol officer ,”like my state, I pick and choose which laws to obey , and I choose not to obey the speed limit. Do Calif lawmakers {lawbreakers} know that Fed law supercedes state law ???!!

  3. avatar

    I think maybe it’s time to give California to Mexico. We can keep some of the prime land on the Pacific such as the LA harbor and San Francisco Bay as well as the far northern portion, other than that let them be part of Mexico since they have made it perfectly obvious they don’t want to be part of the US.

    • avatar

      NO, dammit, there are millions of us who live in California who DON’T want to be part of Mexico! Maybe California will end up attempting to secede, but we can deal with that without giving the state away in the meantime. If push comes to shove we might just have a civil war in this state. However, I would hope saner heads would prevail before that happens.

      • avatar

        what are the citizens saying do they agree with the senators in wanting to keep all the illegals in and keep all the crooks safe?

      • avatar

        STATE OF JEFFERSON 51, 52, …Stream & listen to KCNR Sunday morning shows for latest updates. Court cases. “State Of Jefferson”, Sovereign Minds”, & “We, The People”. People, places, land, water, wildlife &… news. SOJ51.net. Please consider being a SOJ volunteer at Ca. county fairs, etc.. Help rally Sally & Terry R.
        Thank you.

    • avatar

      The state of Commiefornia has gone so far over the Edge it’s hard to figure out why. I live in Az now but left Ca after 45 years when it became obvious Mexico basically owns it now. It has become a lost cause. Might as well loot it and leave what’s left to Mexico.

  4. avatar

    If California is allowed to have a law like this one. Whats to stop other states and cities to pass a law to disregard other federal laws?
    If the California Assembly approves SB 54 and Gov. Brown signs it all who voted for it needs to kicked out of office for violating their oath to precut and defend the Constitution.
    Wonder if California would release a leagle citizen that was stopped for speeding and then found out that that person had a warrant for murder from the state of Arizona would they release that person or extradite that person to Arizona?

  5. avatar
    Don Richardson on

    Tis a sad situation when so many folks think that priority number one is to see that people are allowed to commit crimes and avoid punishment. The concept of equality before the law, the U.S.A. being a ‘country of laws’ and the value of the constitution seems to be fading into the past. The public schools have largely become the propaganda arm of the socialists/communists/progressives/Democrats (they can pick their preferred label for today). We have a generation of citizens who have been taught that the United States is evil, that our country is the source of all evil, that the founding fathers were a bunch of racist white guys, etc. They have been taught that free speech means that you should silence anyone who disagrees with you. With an education totally based on lies, and many of them not knowing any better, when this generation becomes the leaders of our country it is going to be scary.

  6. avatar

    FEDS WILL SET LIMITS ON SANCTUARY JURISDICTIONS

    Some jurisdictions have decided to cooperate
    with the requests of the federal government
    for access to criminals who are also unauthorized foreign nationals.
    We should soon expect more detailed definitions
    of sanctuary cities and sanctuary states.
    The federal government will define more exactly
    just which foreign nationals must be handed over to ICE.
    And these rules will be enforced
    by the threat to withhold federal money
    for related law-enforcement efforts.
    When faced with the loss of millions of dollars,
    most state and local governments will cooperate.

    • avatar

      i hope so i don`t want to live in a state where the crooks has more freedom than the law abiding citizen

      • avatar

        True. STATE OF JEFFERSON 51, 52, …Stream & listen to KCNR Sunday morning shows for latest updates. Court cases. “State Of Jefferson”, Sovereign Minds”, & “We, The People”. People, places, land, water, wildlife &… news. SOJ51.net. Please consider being a SOJ volunteer at Ca. county fairs, etc.. Help rally Sally & Terry R.
        Thank you.

  7. avatar

    I Can Tell Ya, as a Retired White Professional

    Open Border Progressives are against me. They want my Medicare given to healthy ones and IAs even, just because. Yet I paid to get it all my life and the healthy ones and the IAs did not. They pass out my pre-paid Social Security to undeserving IAs like candy…

    Even my local open border Seattle Toastmasters Club [free speech? LOL] won’t let me transfer….they found out I was a Trump supporter so voted to keep me out of the club. I asked them why and they alleged it was because I was somehow disruptive? I used to be open and honest to encourage Toastmaster membership with me, now I’m telling no one nothing….LOL…..my personal Trump Tower has unethical unmasked gossip leaks too…

    Every thing seems out of control right now….lies are truths, etc. the open border folks can’t accept voter need. They oppose Americans!

  8. avatar
    cynthia curran on

    Its the job magnet, San Francisco and San Jose have the least illegal immigrant population because their is less jobs there while LA and parts of Orange County like Santa Ana and Anaheim have the most illegal immigrants because of lots of resort jobs. It doesn’t matter if ICE can deport or not, if the job market shifts from less service jobs because of higher and higher minimum wages, some illegal immigrants will leave Ca. Most are in the US so they can sent money home.

    • avatar

      Why would they leave California when the state makes every welfare program under the sun available to them, gives them driver’s licenses, and the state does everything it can to fight federal authorities from deporting them. And the “resorts” can’t leave the state so whatever they have to pay they will pay, whether it’s to illegals or not. It’s true that a lot of them send money home, but the majority of illegals choose to stay here, especially in illegal friendly states like California. Why wouldn’t they? None of what you are saying makes sense.

      • avatar

        True. STATE OF JEFFERSON 51, 52, …Stream & listen to KCNR Sunday morning shows for latest updates. Court cases. “State Of Jefferson”, Sovereign Minds”, & “We, The People”. People, places, land, water, wildlife &… news. SOJ51.net. Please consider being a SOJ volunteer at Ca. county fairs, etc.. Help rally Sally & Terry R.
        Thank you.

  9. avatar

    Both California and Illinois are in financial death spirals. Both have huge unfunded pension obligations and other liabilities. Their claims of balanced budgets don’t acknowledge that they have to keep taxing at ever increasing rates to balance just their yearly budgets, much make a dent in their pension shortfalls. Jerry Brown is asking for a huge gasoline tax and it’s opposed by most of the public. But the citizens of California seem unable to grasp the simplest of math. They want to keep up the ever more generous welfare programs for illegals, but don’t seem to realize that they have to be paid for. No money growing on those orange trees.

    Their “high speed” train between San Francisco and LA is another albatross they brought on themselves. All the original projections by supporters have been blown out of the water and all the doubters been proven right. It’s now projected to cost at least twice the original estimate, will not be high speed in most places, which was the whole point, and is way behind schedule. But the scorn aimed at those who were right from the beginning was unending. They were called ignorant right wingers living in the past who had no concept of the future. Sound sort of like a recent presidential campaign?

    I was reading an article on anti-Brexit comedians who get a big laugh in pro-remain London, but they have had people walking out on them in other parts of the country. Naturally, it’s not them and their attempts to portray the other side as stupid morons. It’s the fault of the stupid morons who still don’t get how wrong they were. Just like Tony Blair and others who are astonished that others still fail to see the brilliance of their globalist agenda. Sort of like a recent presidential campaign.

    • avatar
      cynthia curran on

      yes, but there higher and higher minimum wages have dropped the growth of service work. I predict about 200,000 illegal immigrants will be out of work in CA in 3 years because they force companies to pay higher wages. Illegal immigrants are getting smart and leaving the parts of Ca that like them less like Mission Viejo and moving to LA or Santa Ana. Personality, most of Orange County, parts of Riverside and most of the inland counties will allow ICE to do their job.

    • avatar

      So True! STATE OF JEFFERSON 51, 52, …Stream & listen to KCNR Sunday morning shows for latest updates. Court cases. “State Of Jefferson”, Sovereign Minds”, & “We, The People”. People, places, land, water, wildlife &… news. SOJ51.net. Please consider being a SOJ volunteer at Ca. county fairs, etc.. Help rally Sally & Terry R.
      Thank you.