SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Republican lawmakers have introduced a new measure calling for an end to the state’s sanctuary laws, following what they described as violent attacks on federal immigration agents in Los Angeles earlier this month.
Assembly Concurrent Resolution 98, introduced by Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (R-East Nicolaus) and Assemblyman Stan Ellis (R-Bakersfield), urges Governor Gavin Newsom to dismantle sanctuary state policies and take immediate steps to improve coordination between state, local, and federal law enforcement.
“Federal officers were violently attacked in the streets of Los Angeles for doing their job—and Gavin Newsom’s policies helped create the conditions that allowed it to happen,” Gallagher said in a statement. “Newsom’s sanctuary state agenda has made it harder to enforce the law and easier for mobs to take over our streets. Enough is enough.”
The lawmakers argue that California’s sanctuary laws have created dangerous communication gaps between agencies, hampering the ability to carry out safe immigration enforcement operations. The resolution claims that these policies embolden those who oppose federal immigration efforts to interfere with little fear of consequences.
California has operated as a sanctuary state since 2017, when former Governor Jerry Brown signed the California Values Act into law. The legislation limits state and local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities, a move supporters say protects undocumented immigrants from deportation and fosters trust between immigrant communities and police.
Democratic lawmakers, who hold a supermajority in the state legislature, have long supported sanctuary policies, framing them as essential to safeguarding immigrant rights and public safety. The new resolution from Republican lawmakers, however, is expected to face significant opposition as it moves through the legislative process.
Despite the uphill battle at the state level, some local governments have taken steps to resist sanctuary policies. In January, Huntington Beach — a traditionally Republican stronghold in Southern California — officially declared itself a “non-sanctuary city,” signaling continued political division over immigration enforcement in the state.
The proposed resolution comes amid heightened tensions following recent altercations involving federal immigration agents, underscoring the ongoing debate over California’s role in federal immigration enforcement.
Governor Newsom has not yet publicly responded to the resolution.
