California lawmakers are advancing a bill that would place restrictions on federal agents’ ability to access public schools and students in the context of immigration enforcement.
Senate Bill 48, according to its official wording, “would prohibit school districts, county offices of education, or charter schools and their personnel from granting permission to an immigration authority to access a school site, producing a pupil for questioning by an immigration authority at a school site, or consenting to a search of any kind at a school site by an immigration authority, unless the immigration authority presents a valid judicial warrant or court order.”
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The bill, introduced by state Senator Lena Gonzalez, a Democrat from Long Beach, was approved by the Senate’s Education Committee on Wednesday with a 6-1 vote.
“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,” Senator Gonzalez stated. “Immigration actions near schools have a chilling effect on school attendance, increased learning loss and harms student mental health.”
Current California law already prohibits schools from collecting immigration status information on students or their families and from disclosing student records without consent or a court order.
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SB 48, if enacted, would further strengthen these protections by making it more challenging for federal officials to obtain information or access to students.
The bill is scheduled to proceed to the full California Senate for a vote, where it will require a two-thirds majority for approval. If passed by the Senate, it will then move to the California Assembly for consideration before potentially reaching the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom.
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