SALDEF Joins Legal Fight To Protect CA’s “No Secret Police” Laws

India-West Staff Reporter

WASHINGTON, DC- The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) has joined a legal effort to preserve California laws barring unidentified officers and police impersonators during immigration enforcement.

The organization joined an amicus brief in ‘United States v. California’ before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The filing opposes the Trump administration’s move for a preliminary injunction against two state statutes: SB 627 (the No Secret Police Act) and SB 805 (the No Vigilantes Act).

California enacted these laws following reports of federal immigration raids where agents, it said, obscured badges and concealed identity markings. The brief characterizes these tactics as a departure from established law enforcement norms, noting that hidden identities make it difficult for residents to distinguish official officers from armed civilians or vigilantes.

Advocates argue that visible markers of authority are essential for Sikh Americans and other immigrant groups, particularly for individuals with limited English proficiency or a history of exposure to state or hate-motivated violence.

“When law enforcement officers conceal their identities or when non-officers impersonate police, community members who are already vulnerable due to religious profiling, language barriers, or immigration status are placed at serious risk,” SALDEF Executive Director Kiran Kaur Gill stated in the filing. Gill described the California statutes as “common-sense protections” designed to ensure transparency and accountability.

SALDEF submitted the brief in partnership with Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California and the law firm Bird Marella. The court is currently considering the federal government’s request to halt the enforcement of these laws while the litigation continues.