California Senate Passes Resolution Denouncing Federal Immigration Raids, Affirming Protection for All Californians

SACRAMENTO – The California Senate today passed Senate Joint Resolution 9 (SJR 9), strongly denouncing the federal government's militarized immigration raids that have terrorized California families and workers since early June. The resolution, championed by Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) and jointly authored with Senators Jesse Arreguín, Anna Caballero, and Melissa Hurtado, passed following emotional floor remarks and a powerful press conference featuring the Latino Caucus, other Diversity Caucuses, legislators, advocates, and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta.

In her press conference remarks, Senator Durazo shared a harrowing account from her own district: "On Wednesday, June 11th, ICE agents carried out a terrifying raid on a U.S. Citizen right in my district in Boyle Heights without showing any warrant or identification. These agents rammed their car between two unmarked vehicles on Whittier Boulevard. They then proceeded to point their guns, dispense tear gas, and forcibly drag him from his car -- all while his partner and two kids were in the backseat."

The Senator's remarks on the Senate Floor drew from religious teachings across faiths, citing the Book of Leviticus, Buddha, and Islamic teachings about welcoming strangers and providing hospitality. "Why did all of the Holy Books need to include these teachings?" she asked. "Because human history is the story of migration. The story of strangers looking for something better or escaping something worse."

The resolution comes as coordinated, military-style immigration raids have swept across California since early June, with federal agents targeting families, workers, and even arresting U.S. citizens. "They are targeting Latinos more than anyone. If you look foreign born, the agents go after you. This strategy is clear cut racial profiling," Senator Durazo stated during the press conference.

Despite the climate of fear, communities across California have responded with remarkable solidarity. In Los Angeles, grassroots organizations launched the LA Street Vendor Solidarity Fund to support families with food, supplies, and rent. In East Los Angeles, a Cal State LA student is leading a student collective that has organized over 500 volunteers to distribute groceries. Senator Durazo also shared the story of two military brothers who accompany their mother in their uniforms to immigration court to protect her from ICE.

"Everyone in California deserves safety, dignity and due process, regardless of immigration status — but the immigration raids and enforcement actions being carried out across the state by unidentified, masked federal agents dressed in war regalia tear families apart, terrorize neighborhoods, and erode trust between communities and government institutions," said Bruno Huizar, supervising policy manager with California Immigrant Policy Center, a co-sponsor of the resolution. "This resolution sends a clear message: California will defend immigrant communities from the federal administration's indiscriminate attacks and uphold the safety and rights of all Californians."

Jeannette Zanipatin, Director of Policy and Advocacy at CHIRLA, another co-sponsor, emphasized the urgency of the situation: "While this administration wants to distract and goad the American public about what is taking place in LA, they are trampling on the rights of immigrants and their families. We will not stand by and allow this abuse of power from taking place, nor will we condone the unlawful and unconstitutional acts taken on the ground over the last twenty-eight days."

Zanipatin continued: "This resolution allows us to send a clear message to our immigrant community, that our communities deserve to be treated with humanity and not be beaten down by masked agents, our families deserve to find those that have been disappeared from our community, and our detained family members deserve to have access to legal counsel, medical care, and basic human rights."

The resolution formally condemns the mass immigration raids, rejects the criminalization of peaceful protest, affirms California's commitment to safeguarding the rights of all residents regardless of immigration status, and supports the expansion of legal services and emergency response resources for affected families.

In her Senate Floor remarks, Senator Durazo posed a profound question to her colleagues: "It's not a question about what President Trump wants. It's not a question about what Governor Newsom wants. It's not even a question about what the public wants. It is simply a question that each one of us must ask and answer to ourselves... 'What does God want us to do?'"

The resolution was co-sponsored by the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), the California Immigrant Policy Center, and CARECEN-LA, with backing from more than 100 organizations across California.

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Senator María Elena Durazo represents the 26th Senate District, which includes the communities of a diverse array of Los Angeles neighborhoods, including Boyle Heights, El Sereno, Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, Mt. Washington, Cypress Park, Lincoln Heights, Atwater Village, Elysian Valley, Arlington Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, Larchmont, Koreatown, Pico-Union, Westlake-MacArthur Park, Historic Filipinotown, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, the Arts District, Civic Center, City Terrace, East Los Angeles, and the City of Vernon.