Democratic officials in New York, California, and Illinois are escalating efforts against federal immigration enforcement, raising the risk of open conflict with Washington.
In Manhattan, DA Alvin Bragg—criticized for lenient charging policies—has explored prosecuting ICE agents, even as New York faces a surge in sexual assaults. California has gone further: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills restricting how federal officers operate in certain areas, including mask and badge rules, while Rep. Nancy Pelosi warned that state and local authorities could arrest federal agents who “break California law.”
San Francisco DA Brooke Jenkins floated using video to identify ICE personnel for warrants, and Huntington Park’s mayor urged police to “investigate and intervene” in alleged unauthorized operations.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker suggested prosecutions could come later, even if not now. A recent scare in Massachusetts—when a Boston judge tried to hold an ICE agent in contempt—ended only when the local DA declined to charge, citing the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.