Top Trump advisor warns California cities not to block immigration enforcement
California officials, along with dozens of others across the country, received letters this week from Stephen Miller’s nonprofit, America First Legal, warning them of the consequences for interfering with or impeding illegal immigration enforcement.
Miller has been named President-elect Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy. In a written statement, the nonprofit said it had sent 249 letters to elected officials in states and cities with sanctuary policies.
The officials who received the letters include Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell, San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas and California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, among others.
San Diego supervisors voted to restrict law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration officials, but Sheriff Kelly Martinez said she would not comply with the county policy.
The letters, all dated Dec. 23, state that people living in the country illegally are subject to removal and that it is a crime to conceal, harbor or shield them.
California has emerged as a major opponent as Trump vows mass deportations of people here illegally. During the last Trump presidency, numerous cities declared themselves sanctuaries for immigrants. The letters, while not directly connected to the Trump transition team, underscores the coming clash over immigration.
“As Attorney General, on December 4, 2024, you stated that the State of California will not enforce federal immigration laws, encouraging defiance by all California jurisdictions,” the letter to Bonta reads in part. “... This rhetoric illustrates the State’s intent to blatantly violate federal law. Such lawlessness subjects you and your subordinates to significant risk of criminal and civil liability. Accordingly, we are sending this letter to put you on notice of this risk and insist that you comply with our nation’s laws.”
“The fact of the matter is that you and the other officials who support or enforce sanctuary laws, policies, and regulations have a very personal stake in the matter — you each could face criminal prosecution and civil liability for your illegal acts,” the letter concludes.
The notices come as Trump’s incoming “border czar,” Tom Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, suggested on Fox News that city officials who don’t help the administration deport people living in the country illegally could face criminal charges.
Legal aid centers report receiving hundreds of inquiries from immigrants wondering what they should do ahead of Trump’s promised mass deportations.
“If you knowingly conceal or harbor an illegal alien from a police officer, it is a felony,” he said. “To impede a federal law enforcement officer is a felony, so don’t cross that line. We’ve got a strong [attorney general] coming in, Pam Bondi, and we will present these prosecutions, so you know, don’t test us.”
Bonta issued a statement Friday, calling the threats “a scare tactic, plain and simple.”
The statement goes on to say that California lawmakers adopted Senate Bill 54 in 2017 to ensure that no state and local resources are used to assist with federal immigration enforcement.
“While we are unable to comment on the specifics of the letter, we want to be clear: SB 54 was upheld by the courts during the first Trump administration, and it prevents the use of state and local resources for federal immigration enforcement with certain narrow exceptions,” the statement said. “SB 54 does nothing, however, to block federal agencies from conducting immigration enforcement themselves. California will continue to comply with all applicable state and federal laws, and we expect all local law enforcement agencies to do the same.”
Zachary Seidl, a spokesperson for Bass, said the letter is “wrong on public safety and wrong on the law.”
“We will always act in the best interests of the people of Los Angeles,” Seidl said.
Bass has expressed support for a “sanctuary city” law recently passed by the L.A. City Council that forbids city employees and resources from being involved in federal immigration enforcement.
The law does not stop the federal government from carrying out mass deportations in the city, but it is intended to signal that City Hall is standing with Los Angeles’ large immigrant population.
Nora Vargas, chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, who recently announced she would not serve a second term, said the newly adopted board policy to restrict the use of county resources for federal immigration enforcement was developed with “careful legal review to ensure full compliance with federal law.”
“We will not allow local resources to be used for actions that separate families, harm community trust, or divert critical resources from addressing our most pressing challenges,” Vargas wrote in a statement to The Times. “Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, and our County will not be a tool for policies that hurt our residents.”
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors recently passed a policy aimed at stopping jails from working with federal immigration officials. But San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez said her office won’t comply with the county’s policy and would continue to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials when some people not authorized to be in the country are released from county jails.
Times staff writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.
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