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Assembly panel advances bill to limit immigration enforcement activity inside hospitals
Summary
SB 81 would codify model policies restricting immigration enforcement in hospitals and health facilities, require facility protocols and limit disclosure of patients’ citizenship information absent a judicial warrant; the subcommittee referred the bill to Appropriations.
Senator Alex Padilla Arguin’s SB 81, which would codify model policies limiting immigration‑enforcement activity inside hospitals and other health facilities, advanced out of the Assembly subcommittee and was referred to the Appropriations Committee.
The bill would restrict disclosure of a patient’s citizenship status to federal immigration authorities except when authorities present a valid judicial warrant, require health facilities to establish protocols for handling immigration‑enforcement requests and limit access to nonpublic areas without a warrant. Senator Arguin framed the bill after recent incidents in California where immigration agents sought to question or detain individuals who were receiving or seeking medical care.
Dolores Trujillo, a registered nurse and board member of the California Nurses Association, and Bruno Huizar, supervising policy manager for detention and deportation at the California Immigrant Policy Center, testified in support. Trujillo said hospitals lacked plans to protect patients and staff from “heavy and invasive” immigration presence and asked the committee to require facility representatives to handle ICE requests.
Supporters said the bill promotes patient privacy, public‑health access and trust between immigrant communities and providers. The author reported collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office and a broad coalition of supporters including the California Hospital Association, California Medical Association, SEIU California and the California Nurses Association.
No opposition witnesses registered at the hearing. The subcommittee approved a motion to refer the bill as amended to Appropriations; the committee recorded the vote as 11–3 in favor of due‑pass to Appropriations.
