Gov. Newsom will veto California bill blocking prisons from cooperating with ICE

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will veto a bill that would block his state’s prison system from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), his office told Fox News Digital. 

Assembly Bill 15 argues that “when California’s jails and prisons voluntarily and unnecessarily transfer immigrant and refugee community members eligible for release from state or local custody to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for immigration detention and deportation purposes, they subject these community members to double punishment and further trauma.” 

“The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) shall not detain on the basis of a hold request, provide an immigration authority with release date information, or respond to a notification request, transfer to an immigration authority, or facilitate or assist with a transfer request any individual who is eligible for release,” reads some of the language of the bill. 

However, Newsom’s office told Fox News Digital that the governor would veto the bill if it ever lands on his desk. 

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The bill is sponsored by Mike Gipson, a Democratic lawmaker who represents Los Angeles. 

Two years ago, Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 1306, which called for similar actions. 

“This bill prohibits the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from providing any information or responding to a request for coordination from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal law enforcement agency, regarding the imminent release of an incarcerated non-citizen, if the person is being released under specific circumstances,” Newsom wrote at the time. 

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“The bill would prevent information sharing and coordination upon a person’s release from CDCR custody for a significant number of people and, as a result, would impede CDCR’s interaction with a federal law enforcement agency charged with assessing public safety risks,” he continued.  

“I believe current law strikes the right balance on limiting interaction to support community trust and cooperation between law enforcement and local communities. For this reason, I cannot sign this bill,” Newsom concluded. 

Newsom’s office says California law currently allows CDCR to coordinate with ICE to take custody of individuals convicted of felony offenses who have served their terms within the state prison system. 

More than 10,500 California inmates – including murderers and rapists – have been transferred from state prisons into ICE custody since Newsom became governor in 2019, his office also said.