Official Summary Text
SB 554, as amended, Jones.
Law enforcement: immigration enforcement.
Existing law, the California Values Act, generally prohibits California law enforcement agencies from investigating, interrogating, detaining, detecting, or arresting persons for immigration enforcement purposes, including providing information regarding a person’s release date or responding to requests for notification by providing release dates or other information, as specified. Existing law provides that responses are never required, but are permitted, provided that they do not violate any local law or policy. Existing law provides the above-described prohibition does not prevent a California law enforcement agency from performing certain limited exceptions to this prohibition that do not violate any policy of the law enforcement agency or any local law or policy of the jurisdiction in which the agency is operating. Existing law provides a law enforcement official with discretion
to cooperate with immigration authorities only if doing so would not violate any federal, state, or local law, or local policy, and where permitted by the California Values Act.
This bill would instead provide that responses relating to a person’s release date, as described above, are
permitted.
required.
The bill would instead require a California law enforcement agency to perform certain limited exceptions to the prohibition, as specified.
The bill would prohibit a local agency, as defined, from enacting an ordinance that would impose any additional prohibitions other than those described above on California law enforcement agencies related to immigration enforcement. The bill would deem void an ordinance enacted by a local agency prior to January 1, 2026, that violates the above-described provisions.
The bill would instead require a law enforcement official to cooperate with immigration authorities only if doing so would not violate any federal or state law or policy, and where permitted by the California Values Act. By imposing new duties on local agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.