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LOS ANGELES (KABC) –California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the “sanctuary state” legislation on Thursday, extending protections statewide for undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Starting Jan. 1, 2018, the bill bars police from asking people about their immigration status or participating in federal immigration enforcement in most cases.

California is home to an estimated 2.3 million undocumented immigrants.

MORE: Questions answered on sanctuary state bill

Opponents of SB 54 had argued that the legislation was an invitation to the world to enter and reside illegally in California.

California’s Democratic Senate leader Kevin de Leon introduced the bill in response to widespread fear in immigrant communities following the election of President Donald Trump, who railed against immigrants in his campaign and promised to sharply ramp up deportation.

People celebrated the decision to make California a sanctuary state, which will protect immigrants.

California Democrats approved a “sanctuary state” bill Saturday that would limit how local and state police can interact with federal immigration agents.

California’s influential sheriff’s association opposed the measure, warning it would make it harder for them to protect the public.

Under the bill, police, sheriff’s officials and jail officers will be barred from transferring immigrants to federal authorities if their rap sheet includes only minor offenses.

MORE: Sheriff McDonnell, immigrant groups spar over sanctuary state bill

Democrats hope blocking police from cooperating will limit the reach of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

The bill “will put a large kink in Trump’s perverse and inhumane deportation machine,” de Leon said at a press conference in L.A. celebrating the signing.

SB54 originally would have severely restricted the authority of police officers to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. At Brown’s insistence, it was scaled back to allow cooperation in jails.

Brown and de Leon have said the bill does not give safe harbor to immigrants, particularly after the concessions Brown demanded.