A “sanctuary” bill making its way through the California legislature could shut down communication between state universities and immigration authorities about foreign students who come to the United States, according to a report released Thursday.

The legislation, known as the California Values Act, has passed the state Senate and awaits action in the General Assembly. It would make California a “sanctuary state” and prohibit state and local law enforcement authorities from helping with federal immigration enforcement.

Andrew Arthur, who served as associate general counsel of the Immigration and Naturalization Service from 1999 to 2001, wrote a report for the Center for Immigration Studies arguing that it also could bar colleges from honoring requirements under federal law regarding international students granted visas to study in the United States.

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“It’s a ham-handed bill that’s been ham-handedly handled,” he told LifeZette. “They really need to consider all of the consequences of this.”

The bill would require the state attorney general to publish “model policies limiting assistance with immigration enforcement to the fullest extent possible consistent with federal and state law at public schools.”

Much would depend on how broadly Attorney General Xavier Becerra would draft those guidelines, said Arthur, who also served as an immigration judge.

Foreigners applying for F-1 and M-1 visas — allowing them to study at academic institutions and trade schools, respectively — must be certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. Schools permitted to accept foreign students must designate employees to report to the government whether foreigners granted visas have enrolled within 30 days of the deadline for registering for classes.

The schools also must report the visa holder’s physical address in the United States and alert Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials within 21 days if a student has failed to maintain status or complete the program. Other reporting requirements include whether a student has been disciplined as a result of conviction of crime. The school must also respond to questions from the Department of Homeland Security.

“There’s a definite possibility that what’s going to come out of this is something that hinders, obstructs the exchange of information between schools and the federal government.”

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Arthur said that prohibiting universities from cooperating with federal authorities could exacerbate the problem of foreigners who unlawfully remain in the United States after their visas expire. The Department of Homeland Security last month estimated that 2.99 percent of students on F visas who were supposed to leave the country in fiscal year 2016 remained.

“There’s a definite possibility that what’s going to come out of this is something that hinders, obstructs the exchange of information between schools and the federal government,” he said.

Arthur said that if California takes that step, the federal government should respond by denying student visas to foreigners who wish to study in the Golden State. It would be an enormous blow to California, which has 1,156 schools certified to receive foreigners on student visas, the most of any state in the country.

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Arthur’s report cites data from the International Institute of Education indicating that as of November, 211,262 students on M and F visas were in California. Nationally, the figure was 1.23 million. The Association of International Educators estimates that foreign students in California during the 2015-16 school year contributed $5.215 billion and supported 59,521 jobs.

Beyond the economic hit, Arthur said, the biggest blow might be the lost of diversity in public universities.

“It’s probably even more than the money they would get,” he said.

Moving against issuing student visas to foreigners bound for California would be an extreme step, one that surely would lead to a lawsuit. Arthur noted that Attorney General Becerra eagerly joined the legal battle against Trump’s temporary travel ban.

“Becerra’s no fan of Trump,” said Arthur.