State Lawmaker Seeks to Track ICE Activity

Sacramento, CA – Amid growing reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) overreach, including yesterday’s incident at San Francisco International Airport, Senator Jesse Arreguín (D-Oakland) has introduced SB 1257, legislation requiring the state to track and publicly report immigration enforcement activity in California.

“The Trump Administration continues to erode accountability while expanding ICE’s unchecked authority, leading to serious abuses,” said State Senator Jesse Arreguín. “SB 1257 will bring transparency to immigration enforcement in California, strengthen public trust, and help ensure that violations of the law are documented and addressed. We need clear data on the scope of these incidents so state leaders can respond effectively and uphold the rights of our communities.”

Several high-profile incidents involving ICE agents in the Bay Area have provoked outrage in local communities. Yesterday, a mother was reportedly violently detained at SFO by unidentified ICE agents as her distraught daughter looked on. Earlier this month, a mother and her two young children — including her six-year-old deaf son — were deported from Hayward to Colombia without access to vital medical equipment. Last year, a 73-year-old grandmother who had lived in the East Bay for decades was abruptly arrested, denied basic accommodations while in custody, and deported to India. None of the individuals involved had criminal backgrounds, and in some cases were returned to places they had fled to escape violence and abuse.

SB 1257 would require the Attorney General to publicly release an annual report on immigration enforcement incidents occurring in designated sensitive locations in California, including educational institutions, health care facilities, shelters, polling places, courthouses, public transportation, state and local government property, and areas where individuals are exercising their First Amendment rights.

Last year, the Governor signed several bills into law designed to protect Californians from ICE activity, including SB 81 by Senator Arreguín, which strengthened privacy protections at health care facilities, and SB 98 by Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) and AB 49 by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), which established similar protections in schools. SB 1257 will help identify and document potential violations of these laws, strengthening enforcement and accountability.

The bill is scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Public Safety Committee tomorrow morning. 

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