Tensions between state residents and immigration enforcement have grown over the last few weeks as President Donald Trump continues his calls for the mass deportation of undocumented people.
When widespread protests against federal immigration raids broke out last week, Trump responded by deploying thousands of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles. The result: fear, panic and a lawsuit filed by Gov. Gavin Newsom against Trump for what he alleges to be the president’s unconstitutional actions.
On Thursday, a judge ruled that Trump had overstepped his authority by seizing the state’s National Guard without notifying the governor. Hours later, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision and scheduled a follow up hearing for next week.
“Immigrant communities live in fear of one day being deported and never seeing their family members again,” Velázquez said in a statement.
“While we resist the threat of raids and mass deportations, it’s equally important to curb actions that fuel distrust between law enforcement and immigrant communities, like ICE agents posing as local police officers.”
Similar legislation has been introduced in Congress before. In 2022, Sen. Corey Booker (D-New Jersey) worked with Velázquez on a bill with language identical to Thompson and Velázquez’s. The most recent bill was introduced to the House of Representatives on June 6.
The Trump “administration has squarely taken aim at immigrant communities,” Thompson said. “We need to build an interest in passing something like this, and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to do that.”
KQED’s Riley Palmer contributed to this report.
