Investigations
Nick Shirley rallied at the Sacramento Capitol against California AB 2624
Governor Gavin Newsom signed the privacy bill into law the Saturday before the protest.
In Sacramento, YouTuber Nick Shirley led a rally at the state Capitol against Assembly Bill 2624, legislation critics call the Stop Nick Shirley Act. Supporters gathered to protest a law Shirley said would block him from publishing fraud investigations at immigration nonprofits.
AB 2624 expands California's Safe at Home program to employees of nonprofits that serve people navigating the immigration system. Governor Gavin Newsom signed it into law on Saturday. The measure takes effect Oct. 1, 2027.
Assemblymember Mia Bonta, a Democrat from Oakland, authored the bill. Her office said it protects immigrant service workers from doxxing. Shirley told the crowd Bonta is married to Attorney General Rob Bonta and created the bill only after he filmed inside California immigration support providers.
Counter-protesters waving communist flags confronted Shirley's supporters away from the main stage. One man was arrested after a scuffle Shirley's crew filmed. A counter-protester called Shirley a white supremacist. Rallygoers called the bill a First Amendment violation and said exposing fraud should not be illegal.
Shirley said he announced a California trip on Jan. 31 after filming the providers, and lawmakers fast-tracked AB 2624 before he published. He told supporters the Senate and Assembly passed it without a single Democratic no vote, and that Newsom worked a Saturday to sign it after learning about the rally.
A New York Times reporter pressed Shirley on whether enrollment in Safe at Home requires proof of threats. Shirley argued a fraudster could enroll and serve a written demand blocking publication. When the reporter cited language limiting liability to posts meant to incite violence, Shirley said a third party could trigger a $4,000 fine against the journalist.
The California Assembly passed AB 2624 in May and sent it to the Senate. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights co-sponsored the bill and testified before the legislature. Bonta's office framed the signing as California rejecting a hate-fueled misinformation campaign.
Source video: Sacramento Erupts... Nick Shirley Rally Takes Over City