The DOJ’s deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, issued a stern letter this week addressed to top California figures—Governor Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and San Francisco DA Brooke Jenkins—warning that any attempt by state or local authorities to arrest or obstruct federal immigration agents would be “illegal and futile.” The letter underscores the federal government’s view that federal immigration enforcement is a duty of federal officers and that state interference crosses legal lines.
The trigger for the warning was public remarks by Pelosi and others suggesting that local or state agencies in the Bay Area could arrest federal agents if they believed federal officials violated state law during immigration operations. According to the letter, such suggestions amount to an “apparent criminal conspiracy” to impede federal law enforcement. The DOJ cited federal statutes criminalizing assault, obstruction, or conspiracy against federal officers, as well as the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which gives federal law precedence over state law when conflicts arise.
Blanche directed the California officials to preserve all communications and records related to any efforts to interfere with immigration operations, and warned that the DOJ would investigate and prosecute any official who directs or conspires to obstruct federal agents. At the same time, he made clear that federal agents will continue enforcing federal immigration law unimpeded and will not be deterred by threats from state or local authorities.
This standoff reflects a broader clash between the Trump‑era federal immigration agenda and California’s sanctuary state posture, which often resists cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The DOJ’s warning signals that the federal government is willing to use its prosecutorial powers to maintain supremacy in immigration enforcement, while California officials continue to assert state sovereignty and protection for immigrant communities.
