Senator Pérez’s legislation to increase oversight of privately-operated immigration detention facilities signed into law

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law SB 957, The Protecting Vulnerable Immigrant Detainees Model Act. The legislation authored by Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) will increase state oversight of privately-operated immigration detention facilities where unacceptable and inhumane treatment has been documented.

“Accountability and protecting Californians are at the heart of SB 957, The Protecting Vulnerable Immigrant Detainees Model Act. This new law will require the state, under the direction of the Attorney General, to identify the most effective ways for California to create meaningful oversight of privately-operated facilities and end the cruel conditions happening inside. No human should have to endure eating moldy food, drinking dirty water or being denied medical care. I appreciate my colleagues for passing this legislation and I thank Governor Newsom for signing SB 957 into law. California must act. We cannot allow one more person to die inside privately-operated immigration detention facilities,” said Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena).

This legislation came about after SB 995, The Masuma Khan Justice Act, was killed in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. That legislation was named after Masuma Khan, a longtime Altadena resident and Eaton Fire survivor who represents one of the many people with no criminal history who has been unjustly targeted and detained by federal immigration enforcement and deprived of basic care such as access to warm clothing, proper food, and medication.

“Over the course of the last two years, I have been focused on passing legislation that responds to this urgent human rights issue. My work is rooted in the simple principle that if detention centers operate in California, they must meet California’s health and safety standards,” said Senator Pérez. 

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Senator Sasha Renée Pérez is Chair of the Senate Education Committee and represents the 25th Senate District that includes the communities of Glendale, Pasadena, Alhambra, Altadena, Arcadia, Claremont, Glendora, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta-Montrose, Monrovia, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, Temple City, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, and San Antonio Heights.