SACRAMENTO — Amid rising deaths and abuse in ICE detention centers, the California State Assembly pushed back on Trump’s war on immigrants with a 21-bill package, featuring AB 2465 by Assemblymember Liz Ortega (D-San Leandro), which would ban state tax breaks and other perks for companies that run for-profit immigrant detention centers or contract with ICE to do immigration enforcement.
“The Trump administration has declared war on our neighbors–and they’re using our own tax dollars to come after us,” said Asm. Liz Ortega, Vice Chair of the Latino Caucus. “I was a three-year-old little girl when my parents brought me here. Luckily I never got separated from my parents. But as a California Assemblymember, I’m going to make sure that we don’t pay a dime of our money to companies that are keeping kids in cages.”
AB 2465, which passed through the Assembly Floor today with 55 votes, would deny state perks like tax breaks, grants, and loans to companies that profit from private detention facilities or contract with agencies engaged in immigration enforcement.
Last year, the number of deaths in ICE custody tripled from 11 to 33, and is continuing to rise. Death rates have reached 1 death every 4 days. At the same time, private prison companies contracting with ICE to run these detention centers are raking in billions. GEO Group and CoreCivic, which operate nearly 30 detention facilities nationwide, posted record revenue of $2.6 billion and $2.2 billion, respectively, in 2025.
Recent investigations have raised serious concerns about conditions inside private detention facilities. A 2025 inspection by the California Department of Justice identified 1 dangerous living conditions and inadequate medical care at a large detention facility in Kern County. Additional reports have documented physical abuse and inhumane conditions, including lack of running water, food, and medical treatment.
Despite California’s efforts to limit for-profit detention, current law does not explicitly bar these companies from receiving taxpayer-funded support. AB 2465 ensures that state resources do not subsidize business practices that conflict with California’s values or contribute to unlawful detention and civil rights violations.
Broad Support
AB 2465 is co-sponsored by:
- State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond
- California Immigrant Policy Center
- PICO California
“The climate of fear that has been created by intensified immigration enforcement is keeping children from attending school and preventing families from fully participating in daily life. California should not be subsidizing corporations that profit from a system causing such widespread harm, which is why I am so proud to sponsor AB 2465 and grateful to Assemblymember Ortega for her partnership on this legislation.”
— Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond
“Families are sacred, and public life carries a moral obligation to protect their dignity, their unity, and their future. California cannot say it values human life and human worth while allowing public dollars to flow toward the suffering, fear, and separation imposed on immigrant communities. AB 2465 affirms a simple moral truth: our laws and our resources should stand with families, with dignity, and with the sanctity of human life, rather than rewarding those who profit from tearing families apart.”
— Joseph Tomás McKellar, Executive Director, PICO California.
“Large corporations are profiting off of separating families and locking people up in ICE detention. It is simply wrong that corporations are generating billions in profits while continuing to receive California taxpayer dollars. AB 2465 fixes that. Our public dollars should invest in the communities that drive California — not corporations that profit from tearing them apart."
— Felicia Gomez, Campaign Director, California Immigrant Policy Center
Assemblymember Ortega can be available for press today. For press availability, contact Veronica Lopez at (951) 520-7386 (text preferred).
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Assemblymember Liz Ortega is Chair of the Assembly Committee on Labor & Employment and sits on the Assembly Committees on Budget; Insurance; Privacy and Consumer Protection; Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism; and Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on State Administration. She represents the 20th Assembly District, encompassing all or a portion of the cities of Hayward, San Leandro, Union City, Dublin, Pleasanton and the unincorporated areas of Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview, San Lorenzo, and Castro Valley.
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