Get The Feds Out Act would add ICE hiring restrictions

California’s Get The Feds Out Act would create stricter hiring processes for former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who want to join state, county or public employment in California if signed into law, according to the CalMatters Digital Democracy database. Gov. Newsom has two days to sign the bill into law.

The bill would specifically apply to those who worked in immigration enforcement from Jan. 20, 2025 to Jan. 20, 2029.

Applicants would be required to disclose any previous job experience in ICE during the hiring process. If an applicant were approved for the position but worked previously in ICE, they must go through a “suitability review.”

“If you participate in cruel basis immigration enforcement, if you violated civil rights, ignored due process or followed unlawful orders, you will not be welcomed in California’s public workforce,” said Mark Gonzalez, one of the bill’s co-authors in a hearing.

The California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training would create the “suitability review.”

News articles, civil complaints or verified social media posts, along with other verified sources, would be taken into consideration for hiring.

“ICE wants to keep people safe by getting rid of other people,” said Drew Dacosta, an electrical engineering junior. “It’s a dangerous methodology to have as a police officer.”

The bill received support from the California Democratic Party, California Faculty Association and Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles. Organizations against the bill include the Peace Officers Research Association of California and various police associations throughout the state.

“California already maintains rigorous, merit-based standards for peace officer hiring, including requirements related to good moral character, background investigations, certification and training,” Porac wrote in a document opposing the bill.

The Get the Feds Out Act is one of three other ICE-related bills presented to Newsom. The bills include AB 1627, which aims to prevent ICE agents working in schools, and SB 938, which aims to prevent ICE experience from counting toward peace officer qualifications.

“I have seen the news and different articles, and I know what ICE has done, and it’s been taken too far,” said Ella Pedersen, plant science freshman. “There are ICE officers that need to be held accountable. They should have stricter criteria for what they’ve done.”

Governor Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign the bill into law.