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California Governor signs "No Kings Act," prompting three people including the woman above who was pregnant, seek to immediately sue ICE, DHS
Hours after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the "No Kings Act," three plaintiffs immediately filed court documents (9/29) under the new law which allows people to bring civil lawsuits against federal ICE, DHS, and other workers for violating civil rights. One of the plaintiffs seen above in video provided by her attorney, says she was 9 months pregnant when ICE showed up and handcuffed her.
LOS ANGELES - California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week signed the "No Kings Act" into law, allowing people to file lawsuits against ICE and other federal agents.
Immediately, an attorney in Los Angeles amended her lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security and multiple John Doe federal agents, using the new law SB 747, for allegedly using excessive force and violating the constitutional rights of three U.S. citizens in 2025.
Civil lawsuits against ICE and other federal employees.
Agents push Javier Ramirez up against a fence. Photo: Carillo Law Firm
What they're saying:
"These people aren't criminals. They weren't doing anything wrong. They were going to work, they were just doing their jobs. These people are just ordinary people. They are American citizens. They were born here, and they're still being targeted," the plaintiff's attorney, Maria Garcia Baldizzone, said. She also provided video of the arrests.
Garcia Baldizzone is the attorney for the three plaintiffs in Southern California who say federal agents violated their rights.
Her amended lawsuits reference Wiener’s new law, which allows Californians to file civil lawsuits against any federal agent for violations of their constitutional rights, including not having probable cause.
Javier Ramirez of East Los Angeles is one of the plaintiffs and he described his encounter with federal agents. Ramirez is a U.S. citizen, but said he was grabbed by the agents on his property. They then threw him to the ground, video shows.
"One of them points me out and says, 'Aw, just get him, he's Mexican,'" Ramirez recounted in an interview on Wednesday. "I said, 'What are you doing? I'm a U.S. citizen."
He said he was arrested but never given access to an attorney or medical care.
"I never knew why I was detained, why I was arrested. They said I was detained for resisting arrest, impeding a federal investigation," Ramirez said.
Border Patrol agents detain one of the plaintiffs in Los Angeles. Photo: Carillo Law Firm
A second case involves a U.S. citizen, Cary Lopez, who was nine months pregnant and says she was thrown against a vehicle by immigration officers.
"They did push her up against a car, kind of threw her against the car, and didn't pay attention to the fact that she was close to her due date," Garcia Baldizzone said.
She says she was detained and later released but blames the trauma on her giving birth to her baby prematurely.
A third plaintiff says he began videotaping immigration officers who were talking with some youth and says he was arrested.
"He ended up in the hospital. They hurt his arm, his shoulder, his back," Garcia Baldizzone said.
Cary Lopez was detained by ICE agents when she was nine months pregnant. Photo: Carillo Law Firm
"No Kings Act" details
The backstory:
ICE agents make an arrest; the plaintiff has amended their lawsuit using the 'No Kings Act' law. Photo: Carillo Law Firm
State Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco authored the "No Kings Act" in 2025 following the Trump administration's aggressive federal immigration actions and takeover of Los Angeles.
He said the law closes a legal loophole that made it difficult to successfully take federal agents to court after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened efforts people could take when suing federal officers, which he said created "de facto immunity" from prosecution for officers who violate residents’ civil rights.
"I introduced this bill a year ago," Wiener said in an interview. "It was the first bill of its kind in the country. And it was right after everything that played out in Los Angeles—just the attack by ICE on the people in Los Angeles. We think we have a strong legal basis to say if a federal agent or border patrol violates your rights under the Constitution, you can sue them and get damages."
Critics say the new law is unnecessary.
On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, who works for the Central California District, posted a message online saying: "Governor, we've been through this already. If you want to regulate federal agents, you have to win a federal election. Until then, you have no jurisdiction."
The Department of Homeland Security also didn't respond for comment.
The law is retroactive to March 1, 2025, in order to include anyone who was impacted by federal agents in that city.
The Source: Information for this story comes from three lawsuits, interviews with attorney Maria F. Garcia Baldizzone and plaintiff Javier Ramirez and state Sen. Scott Wiener. This story was reported in Oakland, Calif.