Newsom signs bill shielding immigrant aid workers’ home addresses

Newsom Signs Law Shielding Immigrant Aid Workers' Addresses

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday signed legislation allowing workers and volunteers at organizations that aid immigrants to shield their home addresses from public records, and making it illegal to post their personal information online with the intent to incite violence against them.

Assembly Bill 2624, by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), creates a state address confidentiality program for people who provide legal, humanitarian and other services to immigrants and who have faced threats, harassment or violence because of that work. Applicants must register with the secretary of state, document a threat within the past year, and receive a substitute address that government agencies must generally accept.

The program is scheduled to open Oct. 1, 2027.

Newsom signed the bill without comment. It was one of five that his office said he signed into law the same day, including those on the State Bar's use of artificial intelligence, child custody mediation, online posting of local government audits, and health instruction in schools.

The immigrant aid worker-related law covers providers, employees and volunteers at nonprofit offices, community legal clinics, law offices and health facilities. It also outlaws posting a participant's personal information or image online with the specific intent to incite imminent great bodily harm against them, or to threaten them into reasonable fear for their safety.

Reactions and Controversy

The law has drawn sharp criticism, particularly from Republican lawmakers and free speech advocates. Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) dubbed it the "Stop Nick Shirley Act," referring to a right-wing online influencer who has posted videos alleging problems at Somali-run child-care centers in Minnesota and at hospices in the Los Angeles area. DeMaio said the bill would restrict citizen journalists.

DeMaio said Sunday he is asking the Justice Department to step in and block the law. "I ultimately believe that this has to go to court because clearly our politicians don't give a damn about our First Amendment rights. But this is a bad pattern of behavior," he told the New York Post.

California Sen. Tony Strickland also accused Newsom and Democratic lawmakers of attacking basic constitutional protections rather than welcoming scrutiny of government spending. "It goes against everything we have here in America, but with the vague language, it's shutting down speech and the freedom of the press," Strickland told the New York Post. "Every person and every taxpayer, every person should be able to ask questions and hold our government accountable."

Strickland predicted the law could eventually wind up before a federal judge. "I do believe this law will be ruled unconstitutional. It violates the First Amendment. However, someone's going to have to challenge it," he said, adding his team is exploring a potential legal challenge.

Speaking to The Times in May, Carolyn Iodice of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression said similar laws had been turned against journalists. She pointed to a New Jersey law that officials invoked to bar the editor of a local news outlet from publishing certain information.

Supporters of the law, however, argue it is necessary to protect those who serve immigrant communities from threats and harassment. Bonta defended the measure, saying it responds to a climate of intimidation. "Our immigrant service providers are living in fear because of extremists looking to demonize the work that they do and the populations they serve," Bonta said Saturday. "That is an intolerable consequence of the anti-immigrant rhetoric that exists right now."

Bonta rejected the characterization that the law conflates journalism with doxxing, emphasizing that it targets only those who intend to incite violence.

Background: Nick Shirley and the Law's Nickname

Nick Shirley, described by one outlet as an independent journalist and YouTuber, has made videos following immigrant workers and accusing them of fraud. His investigations have included alleged Somali-run daycare fraud in Minnesota and California daycare and hospice fraud involving Medi-Cal and Medicare. Some Republican critics argue the law is aimed at silencing such citizen journalists.

DeMaio and others have also pointed to an incident that occurred just days before the signing, when a legislative staffer interrupted Shirley's interview at the Capitol and made a crude personal attack. The New York Post reported that Terry Schanz, chief of staff to Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor, made the comment, and complaints have been filed with the Legislature's HR department. Schanz has faced other controversy, including a wrongful-termination lawsuit.

Sen. Ashley Moody referred to the law as the "Protect Fraudsters Act."

Perspectives

Supporters: Assemblymember Mia Bonta and other proponents argue the law is a necessary response to threats and intimidation faced by immigrant service providers. They emphasize that it only criminalizes doxxing with intent to incite violence, not legitimate journalism.

Critics: Republican lawmakers, including Carl DeMaio and Tony Strickland, and free speech advocates like Carolyn Iodice argue the law is vague and could be used to restrict citizen journalists and whistleblowers. They contend it violates First Amendment rights and could shield fraud from scrutiny.