WASHINGTON – As part of President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, the Justice Department will be empowered to investigate and even prosecute government officials who fail to comply with restrictive immigration rules.
The move is described in an internal memo that has been reported several The measures reported in news outlets on Wednesday represent a targeted target for many state and local California officials who have loudly defended measures designed to allow undocumented immigrants to work and receive training in the state.
The Assistant U.S. Attorney's Memo. Gen. Emil Bove is directing state and local officials to follow federal immigration guidelines, echoing Trump's campaign statements about the threats posed by undocumented immigrants in the country – such as gangs, drugs and crime. Studies have shown that immigrants are far less likely to commit crimes than American citizens.
“Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing, or otherwise disobeying lawful immigration-related orders,” the memo says, adding that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice will investigate perpetrators. The statement also mentions a newly formed Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group to challenge state and local sanctuary city laws.
As news of the internal memo spread Wednesday, authorities and officials began considering how they would respond to the threat of investigation and possible prosecution.
“This is simply scaremongering. “The President is attempting to intimidate and coerce state and local law enforcement into carrying out his mass deportation plans on his behalf,” said California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta in a statement. “My team is reviewing the DOJ memo and we will be prepared to take legal action if the Trump administration’s vague threats turn into illegal actions.”
Bonta referred to California's sanctuary law, passed in 2017 and known as Senate Bill 54, which prohibits local law enforcement agencies from using public funds to play a direct role in immigration enforcement and prohibits police from turning people over to immigration authorities. except in certain cases, such as when people have been convicted of certain violent crimes and misdemeanors.
In 2019, a federal court rejected a challenge to SB54 from the previous Trump administration, ruling that state laws could still be enforced. The city of Huntington Beach sued California this month over the constitutionality of the law.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's office declined to comment.
Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who represents a district in the San Fernando Valley that is home to large immigrant communities, had not read the memo but said L.A.'s “sanctuary city” policy does not stop the federal government from deporting people .
“The question is whether we as a city are using our federal resources to support and encourage this deportation,” Blumenfield said. “I think legally they can’t force us to do that.
“You always have to be worried; Trump doesn’t play by the rules,” he added.
Asked about Trump's order, Tony Thurmond, the state superintendent of public instruction, said: “I don't feel threatened.” “I'm happy to talk to the president now,” said Thurmond, who has opposed supporting ICE . “People don’t need threats.”
Since taking office on Monday, Trump has signed a series of executive orders aimed at curbing illegal immigration – including cutting federal funding for sanctuary cities, ending birthright rights for children of parents who are in the country illegally, and closing one App used by asylum seekers applying to enter the United States.
At Wednesday's meeting of the UC Board of Regents in San Francisco, leaders acknowledged the “fear and uncertainty” of undocumented students – who are estimated to number 86,800 in California Immigration portal for universities.
“We don’t yet know everything that lies ahead, but we remain steadfast in our values, our mission and our commitment to serving and supporting our entire UC community,” said President Michael V. Drake.
Stephen Miller, the president's deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser, hinted at the memo when his nonprofit America First Legal sent letters to 249 elected officials and law enforcement officials across the country last month warning of the consequences arising from interference obstructing the enforcement of illegal immigration.
The letters state that it is a crime to hide, harbor or shield people in the country illegally. California officials who received the letters included Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell and Bonta.
“As Attorney General, you declared on December 4, 2024 that the State of California will not enforce federal immigration laws, thereby encouraging all California jurisdictions to resist,” the letter to Bonta says, concluding: “The fact is That you and the other officials who support or enforce the laws, policies and regulations of protected areas have a very personal interest in the matter – all of you could be subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability for your illegal actions become.”
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it would discuss the Trump directive “with our public safety partners, county counsel and other key stakeholders.”
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department abides by state law (SB54) and will not comply with ICE requests/detentions or transfer individuals to ICE custody unless there is a federal warrant signed by a judge,” said a statement from the department on Wednesday.
Last year, Sheriff Robert Luna said in a television interview that he did not expect to change the department's practices after Trump took office, emphasizing that immigration enforcement was 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 you witness a crime, if you are a victim of a crime, you need to call us. We do not and will not ask people about their immigration status.”
But he added: “We will not assist in the search or deportation of ordinary workers who are here.”
The Sheriff's Department has a complicated and inconsistent track record when interacting with federal immigration agents. Two sheriffs ago, under the tenure of Jim McDonnell — now the police chief — the department allowed ICE agents to use an office at the Inmate Reception Center downtown. From there, immigration agents could freely approach and question detainees at any time, the department previously told the Times.
When Alex Villanueva took office in 2018, he kicked ICE out of prisons and narrowed the criteria that allow inmates to be transferred to federal custody for detention or deportation. The latest version of the Sheriff's Department Policy manual published onlineHe points out that ICE agents do not have access to prisons, train stations or courthouses for immigration enforcement purposes.
Art Acevedo — a former police chief in Houston and Miami and a one-time candidate to lead the L.A. department — said local authorities should be able to focus on combating violent and property crime, especially as the hiring of Law enforcement officers have become a challenge for many agencies. He emphasized that in some situations, local police and officers should work with federal partners to get violent criminals off the streets. However, he questioned what impact the new policy would have.
“It's not really about public policy – it's more about focusing on good political theater,” he told The Times on Wednesday. “We'll see how much of this is rhetoric and how much of it 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 Blume contributed to this report.