A bill that would restrict immigration enforcement at California schools cleared a state Senate committee — with the support of Democrats and one Republican.
The legislation, SB 48, would make it illegal for schools to allow immigration authorities onto campus, question students or search school property without a valid warrant or court order.
The bill would also create a one-mile buffer around the school, preventing law enforcement from helping with immigration enforcement within that area. Law enforcement would not be allowed to give information about students, their families or school staff to immigration officials in this one-mile zone.
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Introduced by Sen. Lena Gonzalez, D-Long Beach, SB 48 passed out of the Senate Education Committee 6-1 on Wednesday, April 2.
Gonzalez said the measure is necessary to protect students from the negative impacts of immigration enforcement, including disruptions to their learning.
“The U.S. Supreme Court has long established that the Constitution guarantees a right to education regardless of immigration status, and until recently, the federal government had treated these sensitive spaces as safe zones,” Gonzalez said. “Immigration actions near schools have a chilling effect on school attendance, increased learning loss and harms student mental health.”
Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Yucaipa, ultimately backed what she called a “good bill.” But she said schools are already not allowed to collect information about students’ immigration status and privacy laws restrict the sharing of such information.
California law prohibits schools from collecting any information or documents about a student’s or their family’s citizenship or immigration status. Additionally, under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, schools cannot disclose any personal information from student records without the student’s consent, unless ordered by a judge.
Bogh, who previously served on the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District, emphasized these existing protections.
“I just want to make sure that we have the correct information out in public because there is a lot of fear being promoted, and it has to stop,” Bogh said. “I can see why the bills are being introduced in order to protect and give that security, but that is the law that is currently already in place.”
Several local school districts have already taken extra steps to limit immigration enforcement.
Santa Ana Unified declared its schools a “safe haven” and pledged not to cooperate with ICE. Los Angeles Unified, the nation’s second-largest school district, reaffirmed its status as a sanctuary for immigrants and distributed “know your rights” cards to help families understand what they can do in encounters with federal immigration authorities.
“To promote this notion that our students … could be in peril within the school districts, I’ll leave it to your interpretations,” Bogh said.
Despite existing protections, Gonzalez said fear — whether from news reports or the president’s remarks — can still drive students away from school. She said her bill would offer an added layer of security for students and give school staff clearer legal guidance.
Thurmond said, “No matter how you feel about the president’s views on immigration, you cannot deny this type of activity has a negative effect on our schools. This isn’t a statement about immigration opinions or the president … Our kids, including our citizen kids, should not be afraid to come to school.”
According to SB 48, if immigration authorities do show up with a warrant or court order, school staff must ask for their ID and a written explanation of their visit and keep copies of those documents. However, if agents don’t have a warrant or court order, school staff would have to deny them access.
The bill also directs the attorney general to create official guidelines to help schools follow these rules.
“Our schools … could potentially lose millions of dollars from the deportation threats that have been made in California,” Thurmond, a Democratic candidate for California governor in 2026, said. “When these threats take place on school campuses or even near a school campus, many times kids don’t come to school, including kids who themselves are citizens. So this simply says that kids should stay in school and have good outcomes.”
Sign up for Down Ballot, our Southern California politics email newsletter. Subscribe here.Dr. Alma Castro, president of the LA County School Trustees Association, drew parallels between the fear she said is being caused by the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and fear triggered by Proposition 187 in 1994, a measure that sought to deny public services, including education, to undocumented immigrants in California.
“In 1994, I was a high school senior at Lynwood High School and witnessed the fear and the divisiveness caused by Proposition 187,” Castro said. “Today, 31 years later, I’m a school board member serving in my same community in Lynwood. I see and I also hear the testimonies of similar concerns regarding the impacts and the damaging effects of immigrant threats in our communities.”
Supporters of SB 48 include Long Beach City College, Alameda County, the California School Employees Association, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles and Asians Advancing Justice Southern California. The Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors and Equality California also backed the bill.
Opposition to the measure came from Sen. Steven Choi, D-Irvine, who was the only one on the committee to vote against it.
Choi said he did not support the bill since it discourages “open communication,” which he said is “vital for our local law enforcement to provide better public safety.”
Choi’s office also referred to a February letter from OC Sheriff Don Barnes to the Senate Public Safety Committee, in which Barnes expressed his opposition to SB 48. Barnes argued that the bill would hinder communication between law enforcement agencies, although he also emphasized that his department does not enforce immigration laws.
“My deputies do not ask the immigration status of suspects, witnesses or those who call to report crimes. Open communication with federal partners will not change this fact, rather it helps enhance our ability to protect all residents of the community,” Barnes said.
The bill is now headed to the Senate Public Safety Committee.
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