May 27, 2026 - Sacramento, CA – California’s State Senate has voted to advance SB 1257 by Senator Jesse Arreguín (D-Oakland), which would require the state to track and publicly report immigration enforcement activity in California.

ICE recruitment graphic

“When the Trump Administration goes after California residents, we will resist, document, and hold accountable those who cause harm,” 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.”

Between January and October 2025, there were over 18,000 known arrests in California by immigration agents. Several high-profile incidents involving ICE agents in the Bay Area have provoked outrage in local communities. In March, a mother was reportedly violently detained at SFO by unidentified ICE agents as her distraught daughter looked on. Earlier this year, 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.

“At a time when federal immigration enforcement actions continue to create fear and instability in our communities, Californians deserve clear information about how these actions are impacting our schools, healthcare settings, parks, nonprofits, and public institutions. Today’s passage of SB 1257 is a powerful step toward transparency, accountability, and protecting the dignity of immigrant communities across California,” said Dr. Seciah Aquino, Executive Director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. “Through our statewide listening tour, we've heard time and time again how immigration enforcement has deep and lasting impacts on health, safety, and trust in public systems. SB 1257 will help ensure California can better understand these impacts and respond with policies rooted in equity, transparency, and community wellbeing.”

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.

Source: Senator Jesse Arreguín