California 2026 governor candidates discuss immigrant well being care, ICE cooperation and sanctuary state standing

As California voters put together to decide on their subsequent governor in 2026, immigration stays one of many state’s most divisive and intently watched points.

Over a number of weeks in September, CBS Information California Investigates correspondent Julie Watts sat down with every candidate within the race to debate their views on a wide range of points, together with immigration. 

On this phase, we look at two nuanced and sometimes misunderstood points of California’s coverage on well being take care of undocumented immigrants and California’s Sanctuary State regulation.

The eleven remaining candidates — Xavier Becerra, Chad Bianco, Ian Calderon, Stephen J. Cloobeck, Steve Hilton, Katie Porter, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa, Butch Ware, Betty Yee and Leo Zacky — share the place they stand on these points.

The place do you stand on ICE cooperation involving convicted, undocumented offenders?

California’s sanctuary state regulation, established below Senate Invoice 54 in 2017, limits when native and state regulation enforcement can help federal immigration authorities by proscribing holds, transfers, and notifications to ICE.

The regulation is designed to separate native policing from federal immigration enforcement and to guard due course of for all.

Former U.S. Well being and Human Providers Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democrat who beforehand defended California’s sanctuary legal guidelines in court docket as lawyer basic, repeatedly confused that the federal authorities can’t power the state to carry out federal immigration enforcement.

“We don’t enable harmful folks to be on our streets,” he mentioned, noting that California already notifies ICE of people in custody however can’t legally “maintain them” after their sentence with out crossing the road into federal detention.

“The federal authorities can’t compel the State of California, and I am saying this to you not simply because I am pontificating, I am saying it as a result of, as lawyer basic, I went to court docket and gained my case on this,” Becerra mentioned. “The federal authorities cannot inform us in California to do federal immigration enforcement with them, for them.”

Hilton, a Republican candidate, mentioned he helps full cooperation with ICE “one hundred pc,” arguing that imposing federal immigration regulation prevents riskier operations in native communities.

“Keep in mind, that is federal regulation… What’s the level of passing legal guidelines in the event you do not implement them?” he mentioned.

Hilton additionally criticized SB 54, saying he “completely disagrees with it” and noting {that a} federal problem to the regulation is underway.

Bianco, a Republican and Riverside County sheriff, additionally backed broader cooperation. Bianco additionally mentioned he’s suing the state to make sure California’s sanctuary state standing is both amended or “finished away with.”

“Each single particular person that’s right here illegally, that as well as commits against the law and leads to jail, needs to be deported,” he mentioned.

Bianco emphasised that present deportations happen solely after conviction, however mentioned California ought to contemplate a system “that works for everyone” whereas stopping in need of endorsing pre-conviction holds.

Zacky, a Republican, mentioned sheriffs “are the last word arbiters of the Structure,” arguing they’ve an obligation to work with ICE even when somebody is “arrested however not but convicted.” When requested particularly about convicted offenders in CDCR custody, he agreed that cooperation ought to happen.

Cloobeck, a Democrat, mentioned the road for him is conviction.

“You violate our legal guidelines… you are going to get your day in court docket,” he mentioned, including that these convicted and undocumented needs to be eliminated.

Villaraigosa, a Democrat and former Los Angeles mayor, centered his response on present exemptions in state regulation.

“What the regulation says at present is that we do cooperate with violent and severe felons,” he mentioned. “And I do suppose we must always cooperate with them.”

Democratic candidate Porter mentioned California’s present coverage “is suitable the way in which it’s,” pointing to built-in exceptions for violent crimes. She mentioned help for cooperation between the state jail system and ICE “is dependent upon the conviction,” emphasizing that state regulation already permits cooperation in sure circumstances.

Thurmond, California’s superintendent of public instruction who can be operating as a Democrat, mentioned regulation enforcement officers “have a duty” to work with ICE when a judicial warrant is concerned. Thurmond continued, saying that he believes state “businesses needs to be doing ICE’s job.”

“I feel we have established a practice in California the place our regulation enforcement businesses do not work with ICE because it pertains to enforcement, and that is why we’re the kind of state that we’re,” he mentioned.

Democratic candidate Calderon, a former state assemblymember, mentioned voters overwhelmingly agree there needs to be “penalties” for undocumented individuals who commit crimes. Whereas he mentioned California ought to coordinate with the federal authorities, he additionally cautioned that immigrants are too usually “demonized” by Washington.

Democratic former State Controller Yee supported permitting the CDCR to carry convicted people till ICE arrives.

“These are convicted criminals,” Yee mentioned, and later added, “for that very inhabitants, completely.”

Inexperienced Social gathering candidate Ware, in contrast, rejected ICE cooperation solely, even for convicted offenders.

“I don’t consider that the answer is to additional reinforce the police powers of a federal state that’s engaged in huge violation of all of our civil liberties,” Ware mentioned. “I’ll discover a higher approach to try this.”

The place do you stand on well being care entry for undocumented immigrants within the asylum or residency course of?

When the dialog shifted to well being take care of undocumented immigrants, particularly folks coming into by means of authorized crossings and legitimately continuing by means of the asylum or residency course of, candidates once more cut up alongside ideological strains.

Becerra mentioned the legal guidelines are “fairly clear” that such people “have already got entry to care,” including that concern stoked by nationwide politics has saved eligible households from in search of medical assist.

“Donald Trump is scaring everybody, together with those that have a authorized proper to entry well being care, and that is the unlucky half as a result of a number of people aren’t sending their kids in to get care as a result of they’re so afraid,” Becerra mentioned. “That is improper, and we won’t allow that in California.”

Yee mentioned she helps entry to “a fundamental degree of well being care” for immigrants in these circumstances.

“I feel we will debate what that degree needs to be, however my concern is that if we must always have a public well being pandemic or simply another public well being emergency, what would occur when we’ve got this inhabitants and this group right here in California that aren’t receiving well being care?” Yee continued.

Thurmond gave his full help to offering well being care to all undocumented immigrants, noting he voted for such expansions as a legislator.

“Irrespective of how you’re feeling about it, you can not deny the prices to our techniques when folks with out insurance coverage go to an emergency room to get care,” he mentioned.

Villaraigosa, like many others, famous that the state already covers emergency take care of undocumented immigrants and claimed that California “spends extra on emergency well being take care of these people than we might on Medi-Cal and preventative.”

Ware mentioned California ought to supply what “each civilized society on Earth has,” supporting well being care that’s “free or reasonably priced” for all folks residing within the state.

“How many individuals do not search out care routinely as a result of they are not positive how they’ll go about paying for it?” Ware mentioned. “It doesn’t should be that approach. We are able to completely steadiness the price range and pay for it.”

Porter mentioned she helps Medi-Cal protection for asylees and people actively pursuing asylum or residency, calling it “applicable.”

Hilton mentioned “everybody ought to have entry to well being care,” arguing the U.S. shouldn’t be a “barbaric society,” although he famous that different states supply protection “in a way more restricted approach.”

Calderon mentioned protection needs to be prolonged solely after making certain the state can meet the wants of residents and everlasting residents.

“Completely, we must always attempt to assist, however that is provided that we’ve got the assets,” he mentioned.

Cloobeck shared the identical sentiment so long as the state has “a balanced price range,” including that “we deal with household first.”

Bianco described the subject of well being take care of undocumented immigrants as “a troublesome query.” He acknowledged that individuals in asylum or residency proceedings “do slot in” below present regulation and mentioned he would require that recipients “needed to be working” in the event that they obtain state protection throughout these processes.

Zacky mentioned he helps “some degree of companies” for immigrants shifting by means of these authorized processes however not “carte blanche.”

As a part of our ongoing political accountability collection, CBS Information California helps voters examine California’s prime gubernatorial candidates side-by-side — not by speaking factors, however by how they reply to nuanced follow-up questions and opposing viewpoints on the problems that matter most to voters.

Within the first a part of this collection, the candidates shared their stances on Proposition 50, California’s controversial plan to redraw its congressional maps mid-decade, which was projected by CBS Information to cross in early November.

You’ll be able to watch each candidate’s full solutions side-by-side on our CBS Information California Investigates YouTube playlist. It is a first-of-its-kind software to assist voters examine not simply what the candidates say, however how they reply to questions on these points.