California Bill Would Bar ICE Agents From Law Enforcement Jobs in the State
What to Know
- The legislation disqualifies individuals employed by ICE, Alabama, and Georgia corrections agencies during designated periods from law enforcement and educational roles in California.
- It mandates expanded background investigations to include prior employment with these agencies, regardless of misconduct or criminal history.
- The bill aims to address concerns over systemic abuses and ensure public safety by scrutinizing employment history in sensitive roles.
SACRAMENTO -- California lawmakers have introduced legislation that would expand statutory disqualifications for peace officer employment based on prior service with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Assembly Bill 1627, introduced by Assemblymember Ávila Farías, would amend Government Code Section 1029 to bar individuals from holding or being employed as peace officers in California if they were employed by ICE between September 1, 2025, and January 20, 2029. The bill would also disqualify individuals who worked for the Alabama Department of Corrections or the Georgia Department of Corrections between January 1, 2020, and January 1, 2026.
Under existing law, peace officer disqualifications are primarily tied to criminal convictions, certification revocations, or findings of misconduct. AB 1627 would add prior employment with the named agencies during the specified timeframes as an independent statutory basis for disqualification, regardless of individual misconduct findings or criminal history.
The bill would also expand background investigation requirements for peace officer applicants. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation would be required to include an investigation into prior employment with ICE, the Alabama Department of Corrections, or the Georgia Department of Corrections when conducting pre-employment background checks using Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training guidelines.
Beyond law enforcement, the proposed legislation would impose similar employment prohibitions across California’s public education system. Individuals who were employed by ICE or the identified corrections agencies during the specified periods would be barred from employment as teachers, principals, superintendents, chancellors, or other administrators by school districts, charter schools, county offices of education, community college districts, the University of California, and the California State University.
The bill would further require the California Department of Education to conduct background investigations of education applicants that include inquiries into prior employment with the listed agencies before employment may begin.
In legislative findings included in the bill text, the Legislature asserts that participation in ICE operations beginning in 2025, as well as employment with the Alabama and Georgia corrections systems during periods examined by the U.S. Department of Justice, raises concerns about suitability for public-facing roles. The findings cite federal investigations into those state corrections departments that identified systemic abuses by corrections staff.
AB 1627 declares the proposed changes a matter of statewide concern, making the provisions applicable to all cities, including charter cities. The bill includes a severability clause and provides for state reimbursement to local agencies and school districts if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the legislation imposes reimbursable costs.
The measure requires a majority vote and has been referred to a fiscal committee for further consideration.