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Bill would bar immigration enforcement from most health‑care settings unless agents have a judicial warrant
Summary
SB 81 would prohibit immigration enforcement actions inside health‑care settings unless a judicial warrant or court order is presented and would add privacy protections for birth place, immigration status and related data; supporters said the law would restore trust in clinics and hospitals and reduce missed appointments.
Senate Bill 81 was presented to the California Senate Health Committee as a measure to strengthen protections for patients and health‑care staff by prohibiting immigration enforcement inside health‑care facilities unless officers present a valid judicial warrant or court order.
Senator Lee, the bill’s author, said SB 81 builds on the California Values Act and codifies model policies intended to keep hospitals, reproductive clinics and community health centers safe spaces for patients regardless of immigration status. “This is about standing up for the people who hold this state together … and making sure that when they walk into a hospital or a reproductive clinic they are met with care and compassion, and not fear and intimidation,” the author said.
Witnesses included Vanessa Gonzalez of the California Hospital Association, who said hospitals need stable policies to preserve trust between patients and clinicians and to avoid patients delaying care. Veronica Palacios, an SEIU eligibility specialist, said she is seeing patients skip visits out of fear and described how immigration operations staged near clinics discourage routine and urgent care.
Supporters included a broad coalition of provider and immigrant‑rights groups: the California Hospital Association, California Medical Association, California Immigrant Policy Center, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, the Latino Coalition for Healthy California, SEIU, the California Medical Association and others.
Committee members raised the public‑health consequences of fear among immigrant communities and asked for clarifications about how the bill aligns with existing state guidance. Some members urged the bill to move quickly through the legislative process; the author said the measure likely will next go to the Judiciary Committee and is being pursued as an urgency bill and co‑sponsorships were welcomed.
The author asked for members’ “aye” votes when a quorum is present. Because the committee lacked a quorum at the time of presentation, the bill will return for a formal vote at a subsequent hearing.
