Newsom’s Ties to Nonprofits Advocating Police Defunding
California Governor Gavin Newsom requested that nonprofits contribute over $610,000 to organizations advocating for defunding or abolishing the police, according to state records. This was prior to him distancing himself from such views.
The Immigrant Defenders Law Center (IDLC) and Immigrant Legal Defense (ILD) both received significant funding at Newsom’s request, with $500,000 in 2023 for IDLC and $110,000 in 2025 for ILD. IDLC has actively pushed for police defunding and worked to release illegal immigrants held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Meanwhile, ILD aims to completely abolish immigration detention and rethink the entire U.S. immigration system, as noted on their website.
In a March interview, Newsom described the calls to defund police that emerged following the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 as “lunacy.” He later stated in July that he supports eliminating sanctuary policies, which protect illegal immigrants from ICE arrests in Democratic-leaning areas. This shift towards a more moderate approach on key issues has led to speculation regarding his potential candidacy for the presidency in 2028.
Neither Newsom’s office nor the nonprofits responded to inquiries regarding these matters. Records indicate that Newsom facilitated payments to IDLC through the Irvine Foundation and to ILD via the Stuart Foundation. However, those organizations did not comment either.
According to California law, elected officials must disclose any payments made to organizations at their request or in coordination with them. Newsom’s disclosures note that the funds for IDLC were intended to enhance services for migrants at the U.S. border, while ILD’s funding was meant for providing legal services in K-12 schools.
Notably, IDLC initiated a bond fund aimed at securing the release of illegal immigrants from ICE custody in California, just a day after protests against ICE erupted in Los Angeles that saw violent clashes. They have publicly joined calls to dismantle police funding since June 2020.
Interestingly, a year after IDLC received that initial $500,000 request, Newsom himself proposed cuts to California’s public safety budget in favor of climate-related initiatives, amid a fiscal shortfall.
