Democrats cited the need to make the bills “airtight” and stepped back after Republicans proposed amendments that would have blocked use of the funds for legal defense of officials who are prosecuted for not complying with federal law enforcement, and for deportation defense of criminal illegal immigrants. 

“The actions by Republicans in Washington this week jeopardize the programs and services Californians rely on most, from health care to school funding,” said a spokesperson for the Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, in a written statement. “Our residents are fearful, confused, and worried. In the Assembly, we are going to look closely at the special session legal defense bills to ensure they are airtight and protect all Californians.” 

According to KCRA, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is now pushing that the funding be modified to exclude deportation defense of criminals after Newsom’s Department of Finance said in a hearing earlier this week that the funds could be used in that manner. 

Assemblyman Carl Demaio, R-San Diego, had offered amendments that would “prohibit any funds from being spent to defend criminal illegal aliens from deportation or defend state politicians who interfere with federal law enforcement.”

Speaking on background, staff say these amendments, along with the Department of Finance’s answers from earlier in the week, have factored into the vote’s delay.

In 2023, California provided $24 million in grants solely for deportation defense, and in 2024, the state provided a broader $37 million grant towards a wide range of immigration services for illegal and legal immigrants. Current guidelines prohibit use of the funds for deportation defense of high-level felons.

Under the 2022 Racial Justice Act, undocumented immigrants can petition to overturn convictions if said convictions will result in “adverse immigration consequences.”

In December 2024, as proposals for the Newsom-called “Trump-proofing” special session were rolled out, California’s United States Senator Alex Padilla said that the state would continue to fund legal defense of undocumented immigrants facing deportation. 

“If it’s legal assistance, legal advice, legal support, that’s just the California way,” Padilla said. “We embrace our diversity. Our diversity has made our communities thrive and our economy thrive.”

California Republicans celebrated the vote delay, referencing their shut-down proposal to increase forest management funding in the session’s $2.5 billion wildfire relief bill. 

“Shutting down today’s vote is a big victory for Republicans, but Assembly Democrats need to end this farce of a special session for good,” said Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-East Nicolaus, in a statement. “Assembly Democrats should stop protecting their boss’s presidential ambitions and start protecting Californians from wildfire, crime and inflation.”