California Bills to Melt ICE

California lawmakers have introduced two legislative measures to limit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations within the state. The bills, Assembly Bill 1627 and Assembly Bill 1633, propose employment bans for former ICE agents and substantial taxes on private companies operating detention facilities. These legislative moves come amidst recent events of escalating national tensions following fatal shootings involving immigration authorities in Minnesota.

Assemblymember Matt Haney introduced AB 1633 to target the financial models of private prison corporations contracting with federal, state and local agencies. The bill, described by Haney’s office as a first-in-the-nation proposal, is designed to curb what the author describes as corporate profiteering from the detention of immigrants.

The legislation would impose a 50 percent tax on the gross receipts of private operators running detention facilities in California. This tax would target profits from contracts with ICE and federal agencies. Revenue would fund a “Due Process for All Fund” for immigration-related legal and support services.

“What we’re seeing in Minnesota and across the country shows the real world consequences of ICE’s unchecked power, putting communities and lives at risk for profit with zero accountability. Corporations running these facilities are being paid hundreds of millions to detain people in cruelty right here in California, and it has to end,” said Assemblymember Haney in a press release.

Haney stated that the bill aims to undermine these corporations’ ability to operate in the state, as private companies profit from a system that separates families and harms communities. The assemblymember highlighted that the bill aims to hold these corporations accountable for the dangerous and inhumane conditions they create, calling it a human crisis rather than just a policy issue.

Companies such as the GEO Group and CoreCivic operate seven facilities across the state, including the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield. According to Haney’s office, these contracts generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The press release states the GEO Group receives approximately $142 million for its facilities in Adelanto and Desert View, while CoreCivic is paid roughly $138 million for its Otay Mesa center.

The introduction of AB 1633 follows recent inspections by the California Department of Justice, which reported substandard conditions at private facilities. These findings included reports of inadequate medical care, insufficient hygiene products and dangerous living environments at a large facility in Kern County.

While AB 1633 targets the financial infrastructure of detention, Assembly Bill 1627 focuses on the personnel who carry out enforcement operations. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Anamarie Ávila Farías, would impose a hiring ban on individuals who were employed by ICE during a specific window of time. Under the proposed law, anyone employed by ICE between Sept. 1, 2025, and Jan. 20, 2029, would be disqualified from serving as a peace officer in California.

The employment prohibition in AB 1627 extends beyond law enforcement roles. The bill would also bar these individuals from employment as teachers, principals, superintendents, or administrators within California’s K-12 public school system, as well as the University of California and California State University systems. To enforce this, the legislation mandates that background investigations for these positions include specific inquiries into prior employment with the designated agencies.

Notably, AB 1627 also applies to former employees of the Alabama Department of Corrections and the Georgia Department of Corrections who worked between January 1, 2020, and January 1, 2026. The bill cites U.S. Department of Justice investigations indicating systemic abuses in state agencies. Farías emphasized that public service demands integrity, where California’s peace officers and educators should protect constitutional rights, not undermine them.

The legislative findings included in the text of AB 1627 assert that participation in ICE operations during the specified period demonstrates an “immorality” that the state cannot afford in its public servants. The bill declares that ensuring public employees are not likely to engage in racial profiling or brutalization is a matter of statewide concern.

Federal officials have pushed back against the characterization of ICE operations presented by the bill authors and advocates. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has maintained that its agents are fulfilling their lawful duties. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin previously told reporters that the “demonization” of ICE is wrong and noted that officers are facing a 1,300 percent increase in assaults.

If passed, the tax imposed by AB 1633 would take effect beginning January 1, 2027. The revenue collected would be managed by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration and deposited into the state treasury.