Newsom: Show of force by ICE agents 'targeted stunt'

LOS ANGELES - Newly released federal court documents and internal text messages reveal that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation conducted outside an event featuring California Gov. Gavin Newsom was a "targeted stunt driven by politics," according to the governor's office.  

‘Abuse of power’ 

What we know:

Former Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino led a team of ICE agents during the event outside a Los Angeles building where Newsom was speaking about Prop. 50 — his ballot measure that redrew California congressional district lines to add five Democratic-majority districts.

Exhibits filed in federal court in Los Angeles show that agents were pulled away from other enforcement duties specifically to stage the operation, during which two people were arrested.

In response to the newly released documents, Newsom condemned the operation, stating, "This is an abuse of power," and adding that every American "should be deeply concerned."

Newsom included some of the text messages in his statement. 

One of the Homeland Security Investigations special agents wrote: "They marched to a democratic governor’s press conference. It seemed to be purely political. It did not seem like there was a good operational basis to be doing that," the agent said. "To me, it appeared political."

No comment

The backstory:

The Department of Homeland Security has not issued a comment regarding the court documents.

The documents are part of a case in which three men are challenging their arrests by immigration officers in Pasadena in June 2025. 

The men are arguing that their arrests were illegal, and part of a broader "pattern and practice of flouting the Constitution and federal law in connection with ongoing immigration raids in the Los Angeles area." 

Several cities across Southern California have joined the lawsuit. 

ImmigrationCalifornia