SB 747 – or the No Kings Act – was authored by State Senator Scott Wiener, and Representative-elect Aisha Wahab.
"When the governor signs this, immediately people will be able to begin filing lawsuits against federal agents who have violated their rights," Sen. Wiener said.
People can already sue federal officers, but Supreme Court rulings have made it difficult for those lawsuits to move forward.
George Retes is a U.S. citizen who was arrested by ICE in 2025 during a raid at a marijuana farm. Retes says they damaged his vehicle, and pepper sprayed him.
"They put me in a prison for three days and three nights," Retes said. "No lawyer, no phone call, no shower to wash off the pepper spray and chemicals from my body even though I was burning the entire time."
If the bill passes, Retes will be able to sue the individual ICE officers involved in the incident.
ICE arrests in the Bay have surged 70% since last year. In July, San Francisco reported more ICE arrests than ever.
Jordan Weiner is the Legal Director of La Raza’s Immigration Removal Defense program. They frequently file petitions for people who were unlawfully arrested or detained. She says if the bill is passed, La Raza will be ready to sue.
"I see all kinds of warrantless arrests, violent arrests, and abuses of people once they get to detention centers," Weiner said. "We will immediately screen all our cases and see what we can file for."
The bill would apply to constitutional violations dating back to March 2025 and people will have up to two years to file a claim.
In an emailed statement to KALW, the Department of Homeland Security said, "California's sanctuary politicians do not control federal law enforcement."
Governor Newsom has until the end of September to sign the bill.
