Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche sent a warning letter to several top California Democrats—including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins—after public statements suggesting that state or local authorities could arrest federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents if they violated California law. Blanche wrote that any attempt to detain federal officers acting in their official capacity would be unlawful and could trigger a federal investigation. Citing the Supremacy Clause, he emphasized that federal law enforcement actions cannot be obstructed by state or local officials.
In the letter, Blanche criticized Democratic leaders for what he described as undermining federal immigration enforcement. He instructed them to preserve all communications related to any effort to impede federal agents and strongly urged them to publicly retract any threats of arrest. Pelosi and Rep. Kevin Mullin had earlier stated that California authorities would retain the power to arrest federal agents who broke state law and that such individuals would not be shielded by presidential pardons.
Blanche concluded by warning that the Department of Justice would prosecute any official who interfered with federal operations. He insisted that federal agents would continue to enforce immigration laws regardless of state-level threats and posted an additional public warning on X, telling California officials to “stand down or face prosecution.”