The California state senate passed a “sanctuary state” bill to limit state and local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The bill, according to its author, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, is a direct rejection of Trump administration policies toward undocumented residents.
The move looks particularly defiant of the federal government, given last week’s the U.S. Department of Justice threatened to remove federal funding from “sanctuary cities” that don’t cooperate with federal agencies. The issue is pressing in California because, according to CNN, about a quarter of the U.S.’s undocumented population live in the state, a roughly estimated 2.5 million people.
California Bill 54 passed earlier this week in a 27-12 vote. Specifically, the bill keeps state and local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. This includes, among other things, inquiring about a person’s immigrations status and “detaining” someone on whom immigration enforcement requests a hold.
Next up for the bill is the California State Assembly, where Democrats have a super majority. If it passes there, which is more than likely, Bill 54 would then head to Governor Jerry Brown.