A gun pulled on civilians in Pasadena (File Photo – Screengrab)
Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday, Sept. 20, signed two major immigration protection bills into law during a ceremony in Los Angeles, marking swift legislative action authored by Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena).
By News Desk
The new laws—SB 98, the Sending Alerts to Families in Education (SAFE) Act, and SB 805, the No Vigilantes Act—take effect immediately under urgency clauses aimed at countering federal immigration enforcement activities in California.
SB 98 requires K-12 schools and higher education institutions to issue alerts to their communities when immigration enforcement officers are present on campus. The law aligns immigration-related alerts with existing emergency notification systems used for threats such as active shooters or natural disasters.
“California must ensure that our schools and colleges remain places where students can learn and thrive, teachers can teach with confidence, and classrooms provide a safe environment for our next generation,” said Senator Pérez. “The SAFE Act will help inform and empower school communities to make the best decisions about their safety and their family’s safety.”
SB 805, known as the No Vigilantes Act, expands California’s laws against impersonating peace officers and addresses growing concerns over unmarked and unidentified federal agents. The legislation makes it illegal to impersonate peace officers, including federal agents, and requires all law enforcement operating in California to clearly display identification showing their agency and either a name, badge number, or both.
The law also authorizes officers to request identification from anyone claiming to be law enforcement and explicitly prohibits bounty hunters from engaging in any form of immigration enforcement in California.
“The No Vigilantes Act responds to troubling immigration enforcement activities in which masked agents have seized people off the street without showing an agency name, personal identification, or badge number,” Pérez explained. “By requiring law enforcement officers to display proper identification… this measure will help rebuild the community’s trust.”
Both bills are viewed as a direct response to what Senator Pérez described as the “federal administration’s cruel and escalating immigration enforcement operations.” She cited recent actions under President Trump’s renewed deportation efforts as justification for urgent state-level protections.
“These two new laws hold the power to protect and inform our immigrant communities,” said Senator Pérez. “Governor Newsom has boldly responded by signing my legislation into law and asserting in one collective voice that California will not stand by and simply watch as President Trump deploys a secret police force to terrorize good people.”
With the new laws now in effect, California continues to assert itself as a national leader in resisting aggressive federal immigration tactics and safeguarding immigrant families across the state.
Leave a Reply