Newsom Enacts Landmark Immigration Bills, Banning Masked Federal Agents and Sparking Federal Clash
Newsom Enacts Landmark Immigration Bills, Banning Masked Federal Agents and Sparking Federal Clash
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday, September 20, 2025, signed a controversial package of immigration bills into law, directly challenging the Trump administration’s aggressive enforcement tactics. The landmark legislation aims to protect immigrants by limiting federal agents’ operations in schools and hospitals, and notably, banning masked federal officers in the state.
Speaking at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex in Los Angeles, Newsom declared, “We’re not North Korea,” framing the bills as a critical pushback against what he termed the “secret police” tactics of the Trump administration and White House advisor Stephen Miller. The governor criticized scenes of masked agents detaining individuals in unmarked cars, calling it a “dystopian sci-fi movie.”
Key bills in the package include SB 98, requiring schools to notify families of federal immigration operations; AB 49, barring agents from non-public school areas without a warrant; and SB 81, prohibiting healthcare officials from disclosing patient immigration status without a warrant. A particularly contentious measure, SB 627, targets masked federal immigration officers, making California the first state to impose such a ban, though it exempts state police.
The new laws have already ignited a fierce dispute between state and federal officials. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had urged Newsom to veto SB 627, with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin calling the legislation and Newsom’s rhetoric “despicable.” Bill Essayli, acting U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, took to X to accuse Newsom of threatening DHS officials and asserted that California lacks jurisdiction over federal operations, directing federal agencies to continue their current practices.
Legal experts anticipate federal challenges, citing the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause. California has previously faced setbacks in blocking federal immigration actions, including a Supreme Court decision that allowed raids to resume after an appellate court pause. Newsom highlighted recent incidents, such as masked agents arresting an undocumented man during a public event, as examples of the “Trump’s America” he seeks to counteract.
The package also includes SB 805, requiring plainclothes law enforcement officers to display their agency and identification, with some exceptions, further aiming to increase transparency and accountability.
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