Overview
- Gavin Newsom agreed it was fair to say ICE officers are not terrorists, distancing himself from his press office’s earlier post.
- He said California works directly with ICE through the state prison system and cited over 10,000 transfers during his tenure.
- Newsom noted he vetoed multiple bills that would have further restricted state cooperation with ICE.
- He rejected calls to abolish ICE, a stance he said he has held in past debates within the Democratic Party.
- The exchange followed a Jan. 7 post by his press office calling the Minneapolis shooting of Renee Good “STATE. SPONSORED. TERRORISM,” and it drew criticism from the left as rivals highlighted data such as a Center for Immigration Studies count of more than 13,000 ICE detainers in California from Oct. 2022 to Feb. 2025.