The U.S. Department of Justice has issued a stark warning to California officials not to interfere with federal immigration operations.
The message, issued Thursday by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, marks the latest flashpoint between the Trump administration and Democratic leaders in the nation’s most populous state.
In a letter sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, Blanche said any attempt to arrest or obstruct federal immigration agents “is both illegal and futile.”
He cautioned that the Justice Department would prosecute any state or local officials who cross that line.
“The Department of Justice views any arrests of federal agents and officers in the performance of their official duties as both illegal and futile,” Blanche wrote. “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 also extended his warning to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, writing on X that the letter “applies to you too,” and adding pointedly: “Federal law. Federal authority. Federal consequences.”
Hours before Blanche’s warning, Trump said he was calling off plans for a “federal deployment” in San Francisco that had been set for the weekend. However, it was unclear how long the reprieve would last.
Earlier in the week, Pelosi and Jenkins suggested that local authorities could detain federal agents who violate state law during immigration raids in San Francisco.
Pelosi called reports of a planned federal “mass immigration raid” an “appalling abuse of law enforcement power.”
“Our state and local authorities may arrest federal agents if they break California law – and if they are convicted, the president cannot pardon them,” she said.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins speaks at an event in San Francisco on April 8, 2025. The U.S. Department of Justice has issued a stark warning to California officials, including Jenkins, not to interfere with federal immigration operations. (Gabrielle Lurie/S.F. Chronicle)
Jenkins, in an interview with the Chronicle, said she would not hesitate to prosecute agents who “cross the bounds of the law.”
She warned that aggressive federal actions in immigrant neighborhoods risk provoking unrest.
“If the agents cross the bounds of the law, if they do things that we believe are criminal themselves, then I have an obligation as the district attorney to ensure that they’re held accountable,” she said.
Blanche’s warning highlights the administration’s readiness to confront local officials who challenge federal authority, citing the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and laws that make it a crime to obstruct federal officers.
In a post on X, he amplified the message: “Stand down or face prosecution. No one threatens our agents. No one will stop us from Making America Safe Again.”
This article originally published at U.S. Justice Department warns California officials: Don’t interfere with immigration enforcement.