California Lawmaker Asks DOJ to Block Harassment Protections for Immigrant Nonprofit Workers
A Republican state lawmaker in California is urging the U.S. Department of Justice to block a new state law that extends harassment protections to immigration nonprofit workers. The lawmaker argues the law infringes on First Amendment rights by potentially hindering…
San Francisco Oakland San Jose, CA, August 23, 2026 —
A Republican state lawmaker in California has formally requested that the U.S. Department of Justice intervene and block a recently enacted state law. The law in question extends new harassment protections to workers employed by immigration nonprofit organizations.
The lawmaker’s primary argument against the legislation centers on concerns that it may infringe upon First Amendment rights. Specifically, the legislator asserts that the law could potentially impede investigations into allegations of fraud.
Conversely, the author of the bill maintains that the legislation is a necessary measure. The bill’s sponsor stated that the new protections are essential to safeguard service providers from experiencing hate and harassment while they perform their work.
Details regarding the specific nature of the alleged fraud or the scope of the investigations that could be hindered were not provided. Similarly, the exact protections afforded by the new law and the types of harassment it aims to prevent were not detailed in the provided information.
The U.S. Department of Justice has not yet publicly responded to the lawmaker’s request.
Story summarized from the original created by Samantha Kennedy on ww2.kqed.org, see more information here.
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