California officials and dozens of others across the country received letters this week from Stephen Miller’s nonprofit America First Laws warning them of the consequences of interfering with or impeding illegal immigration enforcement.
Miller was appointed President-elect Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy. The nonprofit said in a written statement that it has sent 249 letters to elected officials in states and cities that enact shelter policies.
Officials who received the letter include Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonald, San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas and California attorneys. General Rob Bonta and others.
The letters, all dated December 23, state that people living in the country illegally will be deported and that hiding, harboring or harboring them is a crime.
“As Attorney General, your statement on December 4, 2024, that California would not enforce federal immigration laws encouraged contempt across all California jurisdictions,” the letter to Bonta reads in part. “…Such comments illustrate the state’s intent to blatantly violate federal law. This lawless conduct puts you and your subordinates at significant risk of criminal and civil liability. Therefore, we are sending this letter to bring this risk to your attention and insist that you comply with the laws of our country.
“The fact is that you and other officials who support or enforce shelter laws, policies, and regulations have a very personal stake in this matter—and each of you could face criminal prosecution for your unlawful actions,” the letter reads. Prosecution and Civil Liability.
Tom Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the notices come as Trump is about to take office as a “border czar.” fox news City officials who do not help the government deport people living in the country illegally could face criminal charges.
“If you knowingly conceal or harbor an illegal alien from a police officer, that is a felony,” he said. “Obstructing a federal law enforcement officer is a felony, so don’t cross that line. We have strong [attorney general] Pam Bundy comes in and we’re going to file these indictments, so you know, don’t test us.
Bonta issued a statement on Friday, calling the threats a “scare tactic plain and simple.”
The statement also said California lawmakers passed Senate Bill 54 in 2017 to ensure that no state and local resources would be used to assist federal immigration enforcement.
“While we cannot comment on the specific details of this letter, we want to be clear: SB 54, which was upheld by the courts during the first Trump administration, prevented state and local resources from being used in certain narrow circumstances. for federal immigration enforcement. “However, SB 54 does nothing to prevent federal agencies from conducting immigration enforcement on their own. California will continue to comply with all applicable state and federal laws, and we expect all local law enforcement agencies to do the same.”
Bass spokesman Zachary Seidel said the letter was “wrong for public safety and wrong for the law.”
“We will always act in the best interest of the people of Los Angeles,” Seidel said.
Bass expressed support for a “sanctuary city” law recently passed by the Los Angeles City Council that prohibits city employees and resources from participating in federal immigration enforcement.
The law does not prevent the federal government from conducting mass deportations in the city, but it is intended to show City Hall’s solidarity with Los Angeles’ large immigrant population.
San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas, who recently announced she would not be re-elected, said the newly adopted policy of limiting county resources to federal immigration enforcement was developed after “careful legal review. to ensure full compliance with federal law.
“We will not allow local resources to be used for actions that separate families, undermine community trust or divert critical resources from solving our most pressing challenges,” Vargas wrote in a statement to The Times. “Immigration enforcement is a federal priority. It is the government’s responsibility that our county will not be a vehicle for policies that harm our residents.”
Times staff writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.
