Justice Department warns California officials not to arrest ICE agents

The Justice Department on Thursday issued a stark warning to California officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, advising them against attempting to arrest or impede federal law enforcement officers executing immigration laws.

The warning comes after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Democratic Rep. Kevin Mullin on Wednesday threatened to arrest federal agents if they break state law when carrying out President Donald Trump's orders.

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche responded to the threats in a letter addressed to Newsom, Pelosi, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, warning them that interference with federal agents would be "illegal and futile."

"California politicians want to arrest federal agents for enforcing federal law," Blanche posted on X. "We just sent them a letter: Stand down or face prosecution. No one threatens our agents. No one will stop us from Making America Safe Again."

The letter highlights multiple federal statutes that criminalize assaulting, impeding or conspiring against federal officers, and stresses that the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution forbids state officials from prosecuting federal agents for actions taken in the course of their duties.

"We urge you and other California officials to publicly abandon this apparent criminal conspiracy, to stop threatening law enforcement, and to prioritize the safety of your citizens," Blanche wrote.

The letter additionally instructed the officials to "preserve all written and electronic communications and records related to any attempts or efforts to impede or obstruct federal law enforcement officials," warning he would go after any official who violates federal statutes.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.