Overview: California legislators have introduced bills aimed at holding federal ICE agents accountable following recent incidents involving the deaths of two people. Senate Bill 747, The No Kings Act, would allow individuals to sue federal agents for violating their First, Fourth, Fifth Amendment Rights. Assembly Bill 1537 would prohibit police officers from moonlighting for the United States Department of Homeland Security or its contractors, or any other entity that assists with or engages in immigration enforcement. Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes introduced SB 873, which aims to prevent ICE agents from showing up to scheduled court appearances unannounced and conducting “indiscriminate” arrests.
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California legislators are taking action to hold federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents accountable in the wake of recent tragic events involving the death of two people, and ongoing clashes with the public.
On Jan. 7, 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Viral video of the shooting showed Good in her SUV, appearing to reverse her cars away from the agent, before the agent shot her. The agent was recently identified as Jonathan Ross.
Protests have erupted across Minnesota and the nation, demanding justice for Good and denouncing ICE tactics such as their deadly use of force, face coverings and unlawful detainment of individuals across the country.
In another tragic incident, on New Years Eve, 43-year-old Keith Porter was killed by an off-duty ICE agent in Northridge. During a Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners meeting on Jan. 13, Porter’s family and Black Lives Matter Los Angeles called for the LAPD to release the agent’s name and for disciplinary action.
“When are we going to press charges on this murderer? When is he going to be named? When is he going to be arrested? The night that my cousin lost his life, no procedures were followed,” said Jsané Tyler, Porter’s cousin, during the Commissioners meeting, as she described the fatal incident.
Following these incidents, California legislators have introduced bills that aim to hold ICE agents accountable.
On Jan. 13, Senate Bill 747, The No Kings Act, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, 11-2, and will move on to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Introduced last November by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), the bill sets out to hold federal, state, and local officers and government officials accountable by allowing individuals to sue federal agents for violating their First, Fourth, and/or Fifth Amendment Rights.
“This ICE agent and any officials who violate the law must be held accountable. In California, we are leading the way because no one is above the law,” Weiner said in a statement following the murder of Good. “We need to get Trump and his thugs out of power as soon as possible to end this lawlessness. And we need to abolish and replace ICE with an agency committed to democracy, the constitution, and the rule of law.”
Weiner also authored the No Secret Police Act, which took effect on Jan. 6 and restricts ICE agents from covering their face which allows them to remain unidentifiable. Following the signing of the bill, in November 2025, the Trump administration filed a lawsuit against California and Gov. Gavin Newsom over the bill.
Another bill, Assembly Bill 1537, authored by Assemblyman Isaac G. Bryan, was introduced on Jan. 5. AB 1537 would prohibit police officers from moonlighting for the United States Department of Homeland Security or its contractors, or any other entity that assists with or engages in immigration enforcement. It’s unknown how often officers moonlight with DHS, so the bill includes a requirement that police officers report that information.
“We know how ICE is recruiting and we want to make sure that our law enforcement officers who sign up to protect and serve our communities don’t moonlight terrorizing and kidnapping people from those very same communities,” Bryan said during an appearance on CNN. The video clip was shared on Bryan’s Instagram page as he called for the support of the bill.
Tensions between communities and ICE continue as agents have been deployed to cities across the nation, engaging in aggressive and violent tactics, including accosting people in court.
In another move to hold ICE accountable, Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes (D–Colton), introduced SB 873 which aims to prevent ICE agents from showing up to scheduled court appearances unannounced and conducting “indiscriminate” arrests.
“The issue is clear cut,” Reyes said in a press statement. “One of the core responsibilities of government is to protect people – not to inflict terror on them. California is not going to let the federal government make political targets out of people trying to be good stewards of the law. Discouraging people from coming to court makes our community less safe.”
This bill comes after several viral videos showing people being aggressively arrested by federal agents while attending court appearances.