California bill would bar some former ICE agents from public jobs

California has completed the legislative process for AB 1896, known as the GTFO Act, sending the measure into the enrollment process before it goes to Governor Gavin Newsom.

The bill targets people who worked as sworn law-enforcement officers or individual contractors and personally took part in federal immigration-control activities. If enacted, it would restrict their access to certain jobs in California's public institutions.

Applicants seeking to become peace officers would have to declare, under penalty of perjury, whether they had previously worked for federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. The bill would also expand the information that authorities could consider during background investigations.

The proposed restrictions would apply across state, county, municipal and other local police bodies, as well as any public position carrying the powers and duties of a peace officer. California's civil service would also be covered. The Department of Human Resources, or the relevant hiring authorities, could reject an applicant's evaluation, deny eligibility after examinations or remove the person from a candidate list before appointment.

The measure includes an individual exception tied to police training. A former immigration-enforcement agent would not be automatically excluded if the hiring agency, after a background investigation, determined that the person could enter the basic training course run by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, known as POST.