Stop Nick Shirley Act: Namesake charges against rule that just passed in California Assembly

The California Assembly this week passed AB 2624, a measure that extends privacy protections to immigrant support service providers, but has been heavily criticized for supposing an attack on investigative journalism.

Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio was the one who gave the bill its nickname in an official statement published in mid-April, claiming that the legislation "can only be described as the ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act’ — a bill designed to silence citizen journalists exposing fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars" According to DeMaio, instead of investigating and punishing fraud in immigration programs, Democrats prefer to "intimidate citizen watchdog journalsits" who expose them.

The initiative, pushed by Democratic Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, seeks to extend the "Safe at Home" program to employees, volunteers and organizations that provide services to immigrants. According to advocates, the law would protect these individuals from having their private information shared, threats and harassment.

Shirley warns that AB 2624 protects fraud

Citizen journalist Nick Shirley, known for his investigations into alleged fraud at immigrant care centers in Minnesota, charged Sunday that the law poses a danger to freedom of the press.

After the approval of the rule, Shirley asserted on X: "This bill will criminalize investigative journalism involving the immigrant population." The journalist claimed that, had it been in effect, the rule "would have made it illegal to expose the Somali 'Learing' center if it were in California or the Armenian hospice fraud in LA if they claimed 'reasonable fear.'"

Shirley argued that the law specifically protects "immigration support services providers," a category that includes health services and publicly funded nonprofits. According to him, "millions, potentially billions, of dollars in fraud has taken place in 'immigrant support services.'"

Shirley: "California politicians need the fraud to continue"

The journalist also harshly criticized the origin of the project. "This bill was created by Mia Bonta (the attorney general's wife). She has made 4 separate versions of this bill because each version violates the 1st Amendment and is extremely unconstitutional," he wrote.

For Shirley, the real goal of the law is clear: "California is trying to make it harder to expose fraud and scare individuals from investigating it as they could be forced and sued to remove the video, forced to pay attorney fees, and ordered to pay a minimum of $4,000 in damages."

The independent journalist concluded his message with a strong appeal, "Plain and simple, California politicians need the fraud to continue because they depend on the fraud to push their agendas."

AB 2624 has already passed the Assembly by a vote of 57-19 and must now be discussed in the California Senate. If passed and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, it would go into effect next year.