SB 1399 Passes Legislature, Heads to Governor's Desk

Senator Durazo’s Bill to Make Permanent Cal DOJ’s Oversight of Immigration Detention Facilities Cleared the Assembly Floor on Sunday in a 59-19 Vote

SACRAMENTO - SB 1399 by Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), which would permanently establish a framework for the California Department of Justice (Cal DOJ) to inspect and publicly report on conditions inside immigration detention facilities, passed the Assembly Floor last night and now heads to Governor Newsom's desk.

Under existing law established by Assembly Bill 103 in 2017, Cal DOJ is required to review conditions of confinement, standards of care, and due process for individuals in immigration detention facilities, but that legislative requirement is set to expire on July 1, 2027. SB 1399 removes the sunset provision, making the oversight framework permanent.

The bill comes as Cal DOJ's most recent report - the fifth since AB 103 took effect - documented worsening conditions across California's seven privately operated immigration detention facilities, including six detainee deaths between September 2025 and March 2026, the highest number since reviews began. Inspectors found insufficient medical and detention staffing, substandard medical care, and barriers to due process rights among a detained population that grew more than 160% since 2023.

“Yesterday, the California Legislature declared: the public has a right to know what is happening inside immigration detention facilities, and California will not stop shining a light. I thank the Assembly for joining the Senate in passing SB 1399, and I urge Governor Newsom to sign this bill without delay, “said Senator Durazo. “Cal DOJ's reports have already documented deaths, inadequate care, and conditions that fail the federal government's own standards. The oversight framework established under AB 103 is too important to let expire. I look forward to the Governor making it permanent.”

“I’m grateful to Senator Durazo for championing SB 1399, and for the California’s Legislature’s support of this critical legislation,” said Attorney General Bonta. “As our most recent report showed, conditions at immigration detention facilities across California have largely worsened as a result of the Trump Administration’s cruel mass deportation and detention campaign. SB 1399 will ensure continued transparency around conditions at these facilities, providing a permanent framework for my office’s ongoing inspections and reporting.”  

"Past inspections of private detention facilities have repeatedly revealed systemic failures that would otherwise remain hidden from public view," said Hamid Yazdan Panah, Co-Executive Director of Immigrant Defense Advocates. "Those findings have informed families, advocates, policymakers, and the public about serious issues of concern inside facilities entrusted with the care and custody of human beings. SB 1399 builds on that essential transparency by ensuring that oversight is not optional, but a necessary safeguard for dignity, accountability, and the public interest."

SB 1399 passed the Senate 29-7 in May and passed the Assembly Floor 59-19 on Sunday. It now goes to Governor Newsom’s desk.

SB 1399 is co-sponsored by Attorney General Rob Bonta and Immigrant Defense Advocates and is supported by a broad coalition including the California Immigrant Policy Center, UnidosUS, Public Counsel, the County of Santa Clara, and more than a dozen additional organizations.

###

Senator María Elena Durazo represents the 26th Senate District which includes Central Los Angeles, Northeast Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, and the City of Vernon.