DOJ Warns California Officials Amid Clashes Over ICE

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche sent a blunt letter to California leaders — Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Gavin Newsom, AG Rob Bonta and San Francisco DA Brooke Jenkins — warning that attempts to arrest or otherwise obstruct federal immigration agents are “illegal and futile,” citing federal statutes and the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause. Blanche wrote on X that the Department of Justice will investigate and prosecute any state or local official who directs, conspires with, or commits violations to impede federal enforcement, and he ordered preservation of all related written and electronic records. The warning was prompted by public statements from Pelosi, Jenkins and other local officials suggesting they might hold ICE agents accountable under state law after reports of aggressive tactics and a threatened “mass immigration raid” in the Bay Area; Jenkins said SFPD would review footage to identify alleged excessive force. Demonstrations and clashes have occurred near federal staging areas in the region, sharpening a standoff between the Trump administration and California’s Democratic leaders. Blanche emphasized that federal agents will continue operations undeterred and urged state and local officials to abandon what he called an “apparent criminal conspiracy,” warning them to stand down or face prosecution.