Update: Governor Newsom Vetoes SB 1194
On September 27, 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 1194 (Caballero), the Immigration Legal Fellowship Project, legislation that would have permanently established a fellowship program designed to build immigration legal-services capacity in rural and historically underserved regions of California.
The fellowship model was created to address a persistent challenge: many communities across the Central Valley, Central Coast, Inland Empire, and other underserved regions have significant immigrant populations but far fewer attorneys and organizations equipped to provide complex removal defense.
Through the fellowship, early-career attorneys receive intensive training and mentorship while working with community-based legal-service organizations. The program has helped organizations expand their ability to represent immigrants facing deportation while also creating a pipeline of attorneys who can continue practicing in the communities where the need is greatest.
What the Veto Means
In his veto message, Governor Newsom pointed to funding already included in the 2026-27 state budget and described SB 1194 as duplicative of existing state investments in immigration legal services.
Immigrant Defense Advocates disagrees with that assessment.
The 2026-27 state budget includes $7.5 million to support another fellowship cohort, meaning the program will continue in the near term. However, that funding is temporary. SB 1194 would have taken an additional step by permanently establishing the fellowship in state law and creating an enduring framework for building legal capacity in communities that have historically received too little immigration legal-services investment.
As IDA said following the veto:
“The veto, issued late Sunday evening, underscores the Newsom administration’s failure to acknowledge grassroots-led solutions developed by rural communities and sends the message that these regions, and the immigrant communities that call them home, can be ignored without consequence or accountability.”
The distinction matters. A one-time allocation of funding is not the same as permanently investing in the attorneys, organizations, training, mentorship, and infrastructure necessary to build lasting removal-defense capacity.
The Fellowship Has Already Demonstrated Its Impact
The first two fellowship cohorts placed attorneys with organizations throughout the Central Valley, Central Coast, and Inland Empire.
According to reporting by Fresnoland, the initial program placed 19 fellows with 13 organizations and provided more than 2,400 legal services across 39 counties. Of the fellows who completed the program, most became attorneys and remained practicing in the regions they served.
A third cohort is funded to begin in 2027.
Despite the veto of SB 1194, IDA will continue working to protect the $7.5 million investment secured in the state budget, support the next fellowship cohort, and pursue long-term solutions that expand access to high-quality removal defense in rural and underserved communities.
Read More
KQED: Newsom Vetoes Bill to Fund Immigration Attorneys in Rural California
Read the KQED story
Fresnoland: Advocates worry Newsom bill veto will make it easier to deport Central Valley immigrants
Read the Fresnoland story
Governor Newsom: SB 1194 Veto Message
Read the Governor’s veto message
Immigrant Defense Advocates: Immigration Legal Fellowship Project
Learn more about the fellowship
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IDA is sponsoring legislation by Senator Caballero that would place the California Immigrant Justice Fellowship into statute—making it a permanent, ongoing program that builds long-term immigration legal services capacity in California’s most underserved regions.
The Fellowship model was developed by advocates and first proposed to the Legislature in 2019 to address a persistent justice gap: immigrants in removal proceedings are not guaranteed counsel, and rural regions of California often lack enough qualified nonprofit legal providers to meet community need. The state made an initial investment through a two-year $4.7 million initiative included in the 2019 budget, and the Fellowship formally launched in 2021. The program was expanded in 2022 to include a second cohort of fellows.
The program trains and mentors early-career attorneys through partnership with experienced nonprofit mentor organizations and places Fellows with host organizations serving rural and underserved communities—building durable, community-based legal infrastructure where resources are scarce and the need is high.
Even as California has invested in immigration legal services statewide, the largest barrier has remained organizational capacity: in many high-need regions, there are still too few organizations with the staffing, training structures, and eligible experience to absorb available state funds for deportation defense and related services. Codifying and strengthening the Fellowship is a practical, proven way to expand the pipeline of trained immigration attorneys, support host organizations’ long-term sustainability, and ensure California can respond quickly to changing federal enforcement priorities and any future immigration reform.
Bill info: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1194
