Reporter's Field Guides
Immigration Enforcement
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Reporter’s Field Guide: Immigration Enforcement
By Paloma Esquivel
This guide is designed to help reporters covering immigration enforcement in California understand access to state and local public records, immigration courts and detention centers.
While immigration enforcement is largely a federal matter, this guide explains how reporters in California can use state and local records available under the California Public Records Act (the “CPRA”) to report on immigration enforcement. It also provides information on immigration courts and detention centers across the state. Links to guides for accessing federal records through the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”)can be found in Section IV.
The explainer is divided into five sections:
Section I: California laws that create a trail of public records related to immigration enforcement
Section II: An overview of access to immigration courts
Section III: California detention centers and media access
Section IV: Additional resources, including links to glossaries of terms
Section V: Examples of immigration reporting using state/local records
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Conditions in Immigration Detention: County Health Inspections
Conditions in Immigration Detention: California Department of Justice Reviews
Conditions in Immigration Detention: Private Detention Centers and CPRA
Cooperation bBetween Local Law Enforcement and ICE: Transfer Notifications
Public School Policies on Immigration Enforcement
Observing Immigration Court Hearings
Recording and Photography in Immigration Courthouses
III. Immigration Detention in California and Media Access
Finding and Iinterviewing Ppeople who Aare DetainedHheld in Ddetention
I. California laws that create public records related to immigration enforcement
California has a number of laws that create a trail of public records about immigration-related topics that can be used in a wide range of coverage.
Reporting Questions: Are you interested in reporting on conditions in California’s six immigration detention centers? Are you looking for inspection reports of detention facilities? These are some laws and resources that can help.
Conditions in Immigration Detention: County Health Inspections
- SB 1132 (2024) authorizes county health officers to investigate private immigration detention facilities. The law does not require annual inspections, so the volume of records will vary.
- Records that may be available include county health officers’ inspection reports and correspondence about whether to inspect.