California Governor Gavin Newsom took a bold stand for immigrant rights on Saturday, signing a set of five new laws to shield immigrants from aggressive federal enforcement. At a Los Angeles high school event, he highlighted the package as a direct pushback against what he called “lawless immigration raids” under President Donald Trump’s deportation drive.
The star of the bunch is the No Secret Police Act, a groundbreaking California measure that bans federal and local law enforcement officers from wearing face masks on the job. Newsom made it clear: this stops the “secret police” vibe that’s been scaring communities.
He also inked a bill forcing officers to show their badge numbers or names while working, unless they’re undercover. The other three laws target Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactics head-on. They block ICE agents from entering schools and daycares, stop hospitals and doctors from handing over sensitive patient info or letting agents into emergency rooms without a warrant, and demand that families get notified if ICE shows up at school campuses.
Newsom didn’t hold back during his speech. “It’s like a dystopian sci-fi movie,” he said, painting a picture of “unmarked cars, people in masks, people quite literally disappearing.” He stressed that immigrants deserve due process and rights, and Californians have every reason to fight back.
These laws come amid Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, which kicked off protests across Southern California after intense raids. Things heated up so much that the National Guard stepped in. California Democrats started crafting these bills right after Trump took office in January, aiming to protect everyday folks from federal overreach.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass joined Newsom at the event, praising the moves. “All of this legislative resistance is to protect Angelenos from their own federal government. That is profound,” she said, standing with other local leaders.
ICE has defended its agents wearing masks and plain clothes, pointing to threats against officers and their families. But critics in California communities say it builds fear and erodes trust.
The backlash was swift from Washington. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin slammed the laws in a statement, calling them “despicable” and a “flagrant attempt to endanger our officers.”
Legal experts warn these protections might not pack a huge punch. Kevin Johnson, an immigration law professor and former UC Davis School of Law dean, says the bills could have only a marginal effect on federal operations. He points to a 2018 California law that tried to limit ICE arrests at courthouses—yet the Trump administration kept detaining people there this year.
Still, Johnson sees a silver lining. “The federal government is going to continue doing what it’s doing, in one form or another,” he noted. But these laws “give some hope and optimism to communities that feel under fire, vulnerable, and basically hated by the federal government.” For immigrants in California facing deportation fears, it’s a step toward feeling safer in their own backyard.
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