The California Values Act (SB 54) ensures that no state and local resources are used to assist federal immigration enforcement and that our schools, our hospitals, and our courthouses are safe spaces for everyone in our community.
SB 54 was signed into law on October 5, 2017 and went into effect January 1, 2018.
POLICE AND SHERIFFS:
- Cannot ask about your immigration status.
- Cannot arrest you only for having a deportation order or for most other immigration violations.
- Cannot use Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Border Patrol agents as interpreters.
*ICE and Border Patrol agents are also known as "immigration agents." - Cannot share your personal information, like your home address, with ICE or Border Patrol, unless it's publicly available.
IF LOCAL POLICE OR SHERIFFS ARREST YOU, THEY:
- Cannot hold you in jail for extra time just for immigration agents to pick you up.
- Cannot let immigration agents interview you without your written consent. You have the right to refuse the interview and to remain silent.
- Cannot tell immigration agents when you will be released, or transfer you to their custody, with some exceptions.
- Local law enforcement can choose to notify ICE or Border Patrol of your release or transfer you if you have certain convictions, such as:
- State prison felony convictions
- Most other felony convictions within 15 years
- Higher-level misdemeanors within 5 years
- Local law enforcement can notify immigration agents of your release date if the information is already public.
- If local law enforcement decides to notify or transfer you to immigration agents, they must give you advance written notice and a copy of ICE or Border Patrol's request. This will help you begin to fight your case.
STATE PRISON OFFICIALS:
- Cannot let immigration agents interview you without your written consent.
- Cannot limit your access to rehabilitation and educational programs.
- Cannot consider immigration status when determining your classification.
Remember! You always have the right to remain silent. When talking to or in front of law enforcement, anything you say can and will be used against you — don't talk about your immigration status, citizenship, when or how you came to the U.S., or where you're from.
(None of this is intended as legal advice.)
