Indian-Americans in California alarmed as Senate advances transnational repression bill

The Indian diaspora, including Hindus, have expressed serious concern over the “rapid advancement” of California Senate Bill, SB 509. The bill, which claims to address “transnational repression”, is seen by some sections of the Indian community as a “potential threat to the civil liberties and safety of minority communities”.

The bill, which was passed by the Senate and is being rushed through the Assembly, according to two advocacy groups, The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) and the Hindu American Foundation (HAF).

SB 509 aims to counter foreign governments or agents who threaten, surveil, or silence people living in California. While this goal seems noble, critics say its language is overly broad and could unintentionally target members of immigrant communities.

The bill has been referred to the Assembly’s Emergency Management Committee as of June 9, 2025. If it clears the Assembly, it will move to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for final approval.

WHY WAS THE BILL INTRODUCED?

SB 509 was authored by Senator Anna Caballero and co-authored by Assembly members Esmeralda Soria and Jasmeet Bains. Bains is the first Sikh-American in the California Assembly.

The bill aims to train California law enforcement to detect tactics used by foreign governments to silence diaspora voices, including digital surveillance, coercion, and intimidation.

Its momentum grew after the US Department of Justice accused an ex-Indian official of plotting to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

While the bill draws support from groups like Sikhs for Justice, critics argue it risks misuse and overlooks rising anti-Hindu incidents.

WHY VOICES RAISED AGAINST THE BILL?

The Indian-Americans, including the Hindus and Sikhs who opposed the bill, argued that it risks indoctrinating local police with dual loyalty tropes, thus painting diaspora community members as being “proxies” of foreign governments.

Meanwhile, CoHNA and HAF are intensifying their outreach efforts to halt its progress.

CoHNA and HAF have shown concerns after their proposed changes reflecting the concerns of the community were rejected.

“CoHNA and HAF are alarmed by the swift advancement of California Senate Bill 509 (SB 509), a dangerous piece of legislation that, under the guise of addressing ‘transnational repression’, threatens the safety and civil liberties of minority communities, especially Hindus and Indian Americans,” CoHNA said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The provisions of the bill require the Office of Emergency Services (OES) to develop an awareness protocol for law enforcement by July 2026 to enable local police to recognise and respond to incidents of “transnational repression”, which the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines as foreign governments reaching the US to intimidate or harm members of their diaspora.

“In collaboration with the HAF, CoHNA had earlier submitted a series of amendments, reflecting the community’s concerns. All have been rejected. Now, the bill is being rushed through the Assembly after it passed the Senate vote without any effort to address community concerns,” the statement read.

Both CoHNA and HAF felt their concerns had been ignored by the bill’s authors — Senators Anna Caballero and Assembly members Jasmeet Bains and Esmeralda Soria, CoHNA said.

Instead, the lawmakers have doubled down on legislation that could unjustly label peaceful advocacy efforts as foreign interference, placing innocent Hindu Californians at risk of undue scrutiny and profiling, the statement read.

Samir Kalra, managing director of the Hindu American Foundation and a Civil Rights Attorney, reiterated, “SB 509 lacks the adequate guardrails necessary to prevent training on transnational repression from being politicised.”

“More dangerously, under the guise of protecting ‘dissent’, SB 509 would empower law enforcement to criminally prosecute diaspora groups and community organisations who merely speak out against terrorism and extremism, by accusing them of being foreign ‘agents’ or engaging in ‘transnational repression’ on behalf of a foreign country,” Kalra added.