Senator Arreguín's Bill to Ensure Healthcare Spaces are Safe Spaces Passes Assembly Committee
Sacramento, CA - Today, the Assembly Committee on Health passed SB 81 by Senator Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley). This bill would require healthcare providers to create nonpublic areas to ensure they continue to be safe spaces for our communities and support patient care. Additionally, this bill strengthens privacy protections for immigrants by recognizing that immigration status is part of a patient’s medical record.
“Healthcare facilities are a place for healing and hope, not terror and fear. No one should have to dread seeking medical care due to the threat of detention or deportation. Not in California. Not anywhere,” said Senator Jesse Arreguín. “Our immigrant community deserves respect and dignity. I’m proud to present SB 81 to protect California’s immigrant communities and to stand up for the people who hold this state together. This isn’t just smart policy – it’s the right thing to do.”
In 2017, SB 54, the California Values Act — a landmark victory for immigrant rights — was signed into law, and this bill builds upon its foundation by codifying guidance from California’s Attorney General into law. SB 54 was created in response to actions by the first Trump Administration to attack and intimidate California’s immigrant communities. California’s immigrant community are the backbone of the state’s economy and its culture and they must be protected so that no one should have to choose between seeking medical care and fearing detention or deportation.
“This vote is one more step toward ensuring California prioritizes health over fear in our healthcare settings,” said Dr. Seciah Aquino, Executive Director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. “We are witnessing some of the most extreme federal attacks on immigrant communities in our state’s history; threats to funding, violations of our most private data, and chilling policies like the Public Charge rule. But we will not stand down. We’re proud to see the legislature support SB 81, a powerful opportunity for California to lead, protect immigrant communities, restore trust in our public systems, and defend the very people who help build this state.”
California is the state with the largest immigration population in the nation, where 1 in 4 Californians are immigrants, 1 in nearly 2 California children live in an immigrant family, and nearly half of California workers are immigrants or children of immigrants. According to the California Budget & Policy Center, undocumented immigrants in California paid $8.5 billion in local and state taxes in 2022, helping fund critical programs and public services. California’s immigrant community is not only essential, but also foundational -- they care for our children, grow our food, build our homes, and drive our progress.
Immigration crackdowns, often by armed, masked and unidentifiable agents, have created a chilling effect across California communities. Many immigrant families have chosen to stay at home instead of going to work or school in fear that they will disappear. A recent study by Stanford University found that school districts in the Central Valley where immigration raids occurred saw a 22% increase in student absences, especially among younger children. The Los Angeles Metro has reported a 10-15% drop in ridership since a surge in immigration raids across the region started earlier this month, with reports of immigration agents targeting public transit.
The bill, one of the key priorities of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, has received support from dozens of organizations, and is co-sponsored by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the California Immigrant Policy Center, the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, and the California Nurses Association.