Washington – As part of President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, the Justice Department would be empowered to investigate and prosecute government officials who flout immigration regulations.
The move was reported in an internal memo Many Wednesday's news reports effectively put a target on the backs of several state and local California officials, who have vociferously supported measures designed to keep undocumented immigrants working and studying in the state.
A note from acting U.S. Deputy Atty. Gen. Emil Bowe is advising state and local officials to comply with federal immigration orders and echoed Trump's lines on the campaign trail about the threat posed by undocumented immigrants in the country — gangs, drugs and crime. Studies have found that immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than U.S. citizens.
“Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing, and failing to comply with mandates related to legal immigration,” the memo says, adding that the U.S. Attorney's Office and Justice Department will prosecute violators. The report also mentions a newly established “Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Task Force” to challenge state and local sanctuary city laws.
As news of the internal memo spread Wednesday, agencies and officials began assessing how to respond to its investigations and potential prosecution threat.
“This is a scare tactic, plain and simple. The president is trying to intimidate and intimidate state and local law enforcement officials in order to push his mass deportation agenda,” California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonda said in a statement. “My team is reviewing the memo from the U.S. Department of Justice, and We stand ready to take legal action if the Trump administration's vague threats turn into illegal action.”
Bonda pointed to California's sanctuary law — approved in 2017 and known as Senate Bill 54 — that prevents local law enforcement agencies from using public money to play a direct role in immigration enforcement and, except in certain cases, from turning people over to immigration officials. As people were punished for certain violent crimes and misdemeanors.
In 2019, a federal court A case was dismissed It ruled that state laws could continue to be enforced to stop SB54 from the previous Trump administration. The town of Huntington Beach sued California This month on the constitutionality of the law.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's office declined to comment.
Los Angeles City Council member Bob Blumenfeld, who represents a district in the San Fernando Valley that includes many immigrant groups, has not read the memo, but said LA's “sanctuary city” policy does not prevent the federal government from deporting people.
“The question is whether we as a city are using our federal resources to help and encourage that deportation,” Blumanfield said. “Legally, I don't think they can force us to do that.
“You always have to be considerate; Trump doesn't play by the rules,” he added.
Asked about Trump's order, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who has taken a stance against helping ICE, said, “I don't feel threatened. I am pleased to speak with the President now. People don't need to receive threats.
Since taking office on Monday, Trump has signed executive orders aimed at curbing illegal immigration — among them, Terminates federal funding For sanctuary cities, ending birthright citizenship for children of parents in the country illegally and Terminates the application Used by asylum seekers to apply for entry into the United States.
At Wednesday's UC Board of Regents meeting in San Francisco, leaders acknowledged the “fear and uncertainty” among undocumented students — who number an estimated 86,800 in California. Higher Ed Immigration Portal.
“We don't yet know all that lies ahead of us, but we remain committed to our values, our mission and to caring for and supporting our entire UC community,” said President Michael V. Drake said.
Stephen Miller, deputy president for policy and homeland security counsel, foreshadowed the note last month when his nonprofit America First Law sent letters to 249 elected and law enforcement officials across the country. Prevents illegal immigration enforcement.
The letters state that harboring, harboring or shielding people illegally in the country is a crime. California officials who received the letters included Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell and Bonda.
“As Attorney General, on December 4, 2024, the State of California will no longer enforce federal immigration laws, encouraging the opposition of all California jurisdictions,” the letter to Ponta said, adding, “The reality is that you and other officials who support or enforce sanctuary laws, policies, and regulations have personal rights in this matter. – Each of you may face criminal prosecution and civil liability for your illegal actions.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it was discussing Trump's order with “our public safety partners, county counsel and other key stakeholders.”
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department complies with state law (SB54) and does not transfer ICE requests/detainees or individuals in ICE custody unless there is a federal judicial warrant signed by a judge,” a department statement said Wednesday.
Last year, Sheriff Robert Luna said in a television interview that he doesn't expect Trump to change the department's practices after taking office, stressing that immigration enforcement is not the job of sheriff's deputies.
“There's a lot of rhetoric out there,” he said ABC7. “I don't want people to be afraid to call the sheriff's department if they need something. If they witness a crime, if they're a victim of a crime, they should call us. We don't even ask about people's immigration status.
But, he added, “we are not going to help wipe out or deport ordinary working people who are here.”
The sheriff's department has a complicated and inconsistent record in dealing with federal immigration officials. Two sheriffs ago, under Jim McDonnell — now police chief — the department allowed ICE agents to use an office inside the downtown detainee reception center. From there, immigration officials can freely approach and interview detainees at any time The department previously told the Times.
When Alex Villanueva took office in 2018, He got ICE out of jails and limited the criteria for admitting prisoners Transferred to federal custody pending detention or deportation. The latest edition of the Sheriff's Department Policy manual published onlinee specifies that ICE agents are not permitted in any prisons, station jails, or courthouse lockups for the purposes of immigration enforcement.
Art Acevedo — a former police chief in Houston and Miami and a onetime candidate to lead the LAPD — said local agencies could focus on fighting violence and property crime, especially as retaining law enforcement officers is a challenge. Many agencies. In some situations, he urged local police and deputies to work with federal partners to get violent criminals off the streets. But he questioned how effective the new order would be.
“It's not really about focusing on public policy — it's about focusing on good political drama,” he told The Times on Wednesday. “We'll see how much of that is rhetoric and how much is actual action against state and local officials. Time will tell.”
Pinho reported from Washington, Blakinger and Vives from Los Angeles. Times staff writers Dakota Smith, Teresa Watanabe, Taryn Luna and Howard Bloom contributed to this report.