Victory! AB 1140 Signed into Law

YLC joins other advocates in celebrating Governor Newsom’s signing of Assemblymember Robert Rivas’ Assembly Bill 1140, the Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Protections Act. AB 1140 extends to unaccompanied immigrant children placed by federal immigration authorities in California licensed children’s residential facilities the same protections and relevant support received by children placed by other agencies in state-licensed settings. The bill extends foster care youth rights and clarifies the California’s Foster Care Ombudsperson’s jurisdiction and responsibility to oversee, investigate, and seek to resolve violations of children’s rights regardless of immigration status. YLC co-sponsored AB 1140 with Immigrant Defense Advocates, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Kids in Need of Defense, Legal Services for Children, National Center for Youth Law, and Vera Institute of Justice. Read the full press release here.

You can read an op-ed co-authored by Maria Ramiu, YLC’s Senior Staff Attorney, on the importance of AB 1140 here.