Bakersfield police follow California SB 54 the TRUST Act, which limits local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement statewide. The conservative-leaning city has historically chafed at the rules but must comply with state preemption.
California Senate Bill 54, the California Values Act of 2017, restricts state and local law enforcement including BPD from using resources to investigate, detain, or arrest people for federal immigration violations. Police cannot ask about immigration status during routine stops, hold inmates past their release date based solely on ICE detainers without a judicial warrant, or share certain database information. Limited exceptions exist for inmates convicted of serious or violent felonies. Kern County Sheriff and BPD have publicly opposed parts of the law but follow it under state preemption.
Local agencies violating SB 54 risk Attorney General enforcement, loss of state grant funding, and civil action. Officers acting outside statutory exceptions can face departmental discipline; the law creates no individual cause of action for monetary damages.
See how Bakersfield's sanctuary policy preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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