Senate Bill 1399, authored by Senator María Elena Durazo and advanced out of committee, would remove the July 1, 2027 expiration date from California's existing detention facility review framework established under Assembly Bill 103. The current law requires the California Department of Justice to conduct inspections and report on conditions of confinement, standard of care, and due process protections at immigration detention facilities throughout the state.
Bonta said the legislation is particularly critical as the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign exacerbates existing problems at detention facilities. "Since the beginning of the first Trump Administration, DOJ has shined a light on the inhumane and substandard conditions at immigration detention facilities across California through rigorous inspections and periodic reports," Bonta stated. "As the Trump Administration's mass deportation campaign is exacerbating existing problems at these facilities, California's reviews remain especially critical."
The bill, co-sponsored by Immigrant Defense Advocates, would maintain the state's authority to conduct unannounced inspections and publish detailed reports on facility conditions indefinitely. Under the current AB 103 framework, California DOJ has released four reports documenting deficiencies in medical care, mental health services, and living conditions at facilities housing ICE detainees.
California's detention facility oversight program was enacted in 2017 amid growing concerns about conditions at private, for-profit immigration detention centers. The state's most recent report identified ongoing deficiencies and warned that inadequate conditions would likely worsen as federal immigration enforcement expanded under the new Trump administration.
"Everyone has a right to dignity, including immigrants held in detention facilities. SB 1399 makes sure California can keep shining a light on what happens inside these facilities — and that the public can trust that oversight will not disappear," Senator Durazo said. Hamid Yazdan Panah, co-executive director of Immigrant Defense Advocates, emphasized that "transparency is the first step toward accountability."
The legislative push comes as Bonta has intensified scrutiny of detention facilities, recently filing an amicus brief opposing conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center and sending a letter to the Department of Homeland Security highlighting dangerous conditions at the newly opened California City Detention Facility. The attorney general has positioned the state as a watchdog for federal immigration detention operations within California's borders.