White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt has intensified her claims that California Governor Gavin Newsom and law enforcement leaders in the state are jeopardizing public safety by not complying with ICE’s detention requests, which she argues allows violent offenders to remain free.
On Friday, Leavitt shared a press release from the Department of Homeland Security on X, highlighting individuals charged or convicted of serious crimes such as child sexual offenses, violent assaults, and even murder.
“Why would Gavin Newsom do this?” she questioned in her post.
This statement follows a critical letter from Todd Lyons, the acting chief of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, directed at Attorney General Rob Bonta. The letter alleged that California’s sanctuary policy has led to the release of 4,561 “criminal illegal aliens” since January 20.
Lyons condemned Newsom and other sanctuary state politicians, asserting that their policies endanger American lives by enabling the release of dangerous individuals, including murderers and drug traffickers. He labeled the situation a “dangerous derangement.”
Responding, Newsom took to X to address the administration’s criticism, referencing a controversial image shared by Trump that portrayed Barack and Michelle Obama in a derogatory manner.
“You and Carolyn are working overtime today to distract yourself from Trump’s disgusting monkey video,” Newsom wrote in a tweet. He asserted that California does cooperate with ICE to remove serious offenders from state prisons.
The governor’s team highlighted that California has transferred over 12,000 individuals to ICE custody; however, they pointed out that federal authorities are currently not picking up around one in eight immigration detainees when released.
This clash of rhetoric occurs amid a surge in immigrant raids under President Trump over the past year, with more than 10,000 arrests reported in Los Angeles alone.
Federal officials indicate that over 33,000 individuals with active detention requests are currently held in California, with the recorded crimes including 399 murders, 3,313 assaults, 3,171 robberies, and various other serious offenses.
The agency supported its statements with unsettling examples and mugshots of individuals not detained despite ICE’s requests.
