California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) plans to veto a bill that would prevent the state’s prison system from collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), his office told The Hill on Friday.
“The Governor will veto AB 15 if it reaches his desk,” the office said.
Assembly Bill 15 states that when California’s jails and prisons voluntarily and unnecessarily transfer immigrants eligible to release from state or local custody to ICE for detention and deportation purposes, these community members face “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,” the bill says.
The state’s law permits the CDCR to communicate and work with ICE to transfer inmates convicted of felonies to ICE custody after they have completed their prison sentences.
Newsom has previously vetoed this bill on two occasions: AB 1306 (Carrillo) in 2023 and another version, AB 1282 (Kalra), in 2019.
Since Newsom took office, the state prison system has notified and coordinated with ICE the transfer of 10,588 state inmates (murderers, rapists, violent offenders, and more) into ICE custody, per the governor’s office.
In its statement to The Hill, Newsom’s office noted that data shows immigrants – including those undocumented – commit crimes at far lower rates than citizens do.
“For immigrants that do commit crimes, California law has important exceptions that allow law enforcement agencies to communicate and coordinate with ICE about release dates so ICE can take custody of individuals with serious prior criminal convictions; who have been arrested and a judge determines enough evidence exists to charge them for a serious or violent felony or any felony that carries a possible prison sentence under state law; or who have an outstanding serious federal arrest warrant,” the statement added.
The office further stated that CDCR works with ICE to take custody of individuals who have been convicted of felony crimes and have completed their sentences in California state prisons.
Newsom is adopting a more amicable stance towards President Trump as he navigates the realities of a Washington dominated by Republicans.
Earlier this month, he visited the district to advocate for disaster relief from Trump in the wake of last month’s devastating wildfires in Southern California. His tone and approach were significantly more accommodating than in his previous comments about the president.
During a recent CNN interview, Newsom referred to his relationship with Trump as “one of the more interesting relationships in politics.”
