The office of Gov. Gavin Newsom released what it says are messages between U.S. Department of Homeland Security officers that show an immigration operation that took place outside his rally last year was a “targeted stunt driven by politics.”
U.S. Border Patrol agents carried out an enforcement operation on Aug. 25, 2025, outside the Democracy Center at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, where the governor was hosting a rally to discuss California’s redistricting plan.
Gregory Bovino, the then-U.S. Border Patrol Sector Commander, said at the time that the agency was conducting immigration enforcement patrols in the area and denied any coincidence that the operation took place near the governor’s rally.
“Breaking the law is not coincidental,” Bovino said at the time. “Breaking the law is breaking the law.”
On Wednesday, however, Newsom’s office released internal text messages from federal agents and federal court documents that he said support his claim that the operation intentionally took place near his rally.
In one message, a Homeland Security personnel wrote, “We got pulled off the HD (Home Depot) and car wash to run this stunt,” along with an emoticon showing a person face-palming. In another message, a Homeland Security personnel wrote, “They essentially raided the Newsom press conference,” along with a laughing emoticon.
Newsom’s office also released an excerpt from an agent’s sworn deposition testimony that stated, “It seemed to be purely political. It did not seem like there was a good operational basis to be doing that. To me, it appeared political.”
In a statement, the governor condemned the enforcement operation, describing it as a “move right out of the dictator’s playbook.”
“They weren’t chasing dangerous criminals or doing targeted enforcement — their bosses wanted a stunt,” Newsom’s statement read. “The federal government should never be used as a weapon against political opponents or their families. This is an abuse of power, and every American, regardless of party, should be deeply concerned.”
NBCLA has reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment.