U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has issued a direct warning to California officials and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over their threats to impede federal immigration enforcement and arrest ICE agents.
In a formal letter sent Thursday, Blanche told Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, and Pelosi that federal officers are lawfully executing their duties, and any attempt to interfere is both “illegal and futile.”
The extraordinary letter follows public remarks from Pelosi and Rep. Kevin Mullin, who on Wednesday threatened to arrest federal agents if they violated California law during an anticipated immigration raid in the Bay Area.
Pelosi and Mullin accused the Trump administration of “abusing law enforcement power” and claimed that President Donald Trump’s agents could face state prosecution.
“Reports of a planned mass immigration raid in the Bay Area are an appalling abuse of law enforcement power,” Pelosi and Mullin said in their joint statement. “While the President may enjoy absolute immunity courtesy of his rogue Supreme Court, those who operate under his orders do not. … The people of San Francisco will continue to stand with the patriotic immigrants who are the constant reinvigoration of America.”
Blanche responded swiftly, posting on X that his office had sent the letter ordering California Democrats to stand down.
“We just sent them a letter: Stand down or face prosecution,” Blanche wrote. “No one threatens our agents. No one will stop us from Making America Safe Again.”
The DOJ letter cites multiple federal statutes that make it a crime to assault, impede, or conspire against federal officers. It also invokes the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which establishes that state and local authorities cannot prosecute federal officials acting within the scope of their duties.
Blanche directed Newsom, Bonta, Pelosi, and Jenkins to “preserve all written and electronic communications and records related to any attempts or efforts to impede or obstruct federal law enforcement officials.”
He warned that the Justice Department will “investigate and prosecute any official” who violates those statutes.
“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 wrote.
The dispute marks one of the sharpest confrontations yet between the Trump administration and California officials, who have long clashed with federal authorities over immigration enforcement.
Pelosi’s statement drew outrage among conservatives, who accused her of inciting resistance to federal law. Supporters, however, defended her remarks as a stand for state sovereignty and immigrant rights.
Federal officials have not disclosed details of the planned operation in the Bay Area, though sources familiar with the matter told several outlets that the enforcement action could target sanctuary jurisdictions accused of harboring criminal non-citizens.
As of Friday morning, neither Newsom’s office nor the California Attorney General’s office had issued a public response to the DOJ warning.
