Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared Wednesday that California authorities could arrest federal agents who violate local laws while enforcing immigration policy.
The move, paired with new plans by California Democrats to publicly track Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, has ignited intense backlash from federal officials and conservative lawmakers.
Pelosi, alongside fellow California Democrat Rep. Kevin Mullin, issued a joint statement asserting that while President Trump enjoys what she called “absolute immunity courtesy of his rogue Supreme Court,” those acting under his authority are not shielded from prosecution.
They said that California state and local officials could detain any federal agents found breaking state law and that the president would have no power to pardon them.
BREAKING: Bondi orders Pelosi to preserve her emails after she ordered ICE agents to be arrested.
"You are impeding an investigation, and we will charge you. If they think I won’t, they have not met me."pic.twitter.com/hfyAoMOMJ4
— Douglas Macgregor (@DougAMacgregor) October 24, 2025
The declaration followed reports that San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins was exploring ways to charge federal officers for excessive use of force during immigration enforcement actions.
Jenkins reportedly made the decision after viewing footage of agents allegedly “roughing up people” in Los Angeles and Chicago.
Jenkins explained that she had her office research the extent of her authority and considered how local law enforcement might intervene in cases of excessive force by federal agents.
Rather than public confrontations, she suggested that prosecutors could review camera footage, identify any offending agents, and request arrest warrants from local judges.
Numerous federal agents currently operate in masks and without visible identification, complicating enforcement efforts.
A California law banning masked federal agents does not take effect until January and is already expected to face legal challenges.
Jenkins acknowledged that the Trump administration could claim immunity for its officers or simply disregard state-issued warrants.
Pelosi’s remarks came just as California Democrats announced plans for a controversial new tool: an online tracker designed to document and publicize ICE activities statewide.
Critics say the project, which invites activists to submit footage and reports of immigration enforcement operations, amounts to government-endorsed doxxing of federal officers.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Rep. Robert Garcia unveiled the program earlier this week.
Garcia described the tracker as part of a broader oversight effort, saying the site would allow users to upload verified encounters and make them publicly searchable.
“Over the course of the next couple of weeks, the Oversight Committee will be launching on their website a master ICE tracker where we’re going to be essentially tracking every single instance that we can verify that the community will send,” Garcia remarked.
He encouraged residents to record ICE activity “if they are able and safe” to do s,o and submit it to his office or local activist organizations.
Federal officials immediately condemned the initiative. The Department of Homeland Security warned in a post on X that the tracker would endanger federal agents and their families.
ICE tracking apps and websites directly put the lives of ICE law enforcement and their families in danger.
Less than a month after a deranged gunman — who used an ICE tracking app to plan his attack — opened fire at the Dallas ICE facility, California politicians are pushing to… pic.twitter.com/a1JUWo2JuT
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) October 22, 2025
“ICE tracking apps and websites directly put the lives of ICE law enforcement and their families in danger,” DHS said, pointing to a recent shooting at a Dallas ICE facility allegedly planned using similar online tools.
“Anyone who actively obstructs law enforcement in the performance of their sworn duties or assaults law enforcement, including U.S. citizens, will face consequences,” DHS warned.
President Donald Trump has deployed additional federal officers to San Francisco and other major cities as part of a wider crackdown on violent crime and illegal immigration.
California Governor Gavin Newsom responded by urging residents to remain peaceful and accused the president of inflaming tensions.
He referenced Trump aide Stephen Miller, a California native known for his tough stance on immigration, and claimed the administration was deliberately provoking unrest.
Newsom accused Trump of manufacturing “conditions for anxiety” as an excuse to deploy the National Guard, calling his tactics “right out of the dictator’s handbook.”
BREAKING: Donald Trump is sending federal agents to San Francisco.
We know his playbook. We know what’s next. Watch. pic.twitter.com/NeyCXNDo8q
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) October 22, 2025
Trump’s allies argue that local officials have failed to maintain order and are now targeting federal law enforcement instead of addressing rampant crime and illegal migration.
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche sent a letter to California officials on Thursday, warning them about to go after federal agents.
In a letter to Newsom, Pelosi, Jenkins and state Attorney General Rob Bonta, he noted that federal agents were carrying out their lawful duties and state interference was “illegal and futile.”
California politicians want to arrest federal agents for enforcing federal law.
We just sent them a letter: Stand down or face prosecution.
No one threatens our agents. No one will stop us from Making America Safe Again. pic.twitter.com/xe0EK8QssO— Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) October 23, 2025
Blanche also told California lawmakers to “preserve all written and electronic communications and records related to any attempts or efforts to impede or obstruct federal law enforcement officials,” so the Department of Justice would be able to go after any officials that defy federal law.
U.S. Attorney general echoed the sentiment during an interview on Fox News on Thursday night. “You are impeding an investigation, and we will charge them. If they think I won’t, they have not met me,” she warned.
“These people are out there working to keep Californians safe, yet you’ve got Pelosi out there saying she’ll obstruct their investigation, you can’t do that,” Bondi noted. “We’re going to investigate her now as well as that D.A.”
Meanwhile, Democrats in California have repeatedly lost court battles over Trump’s authority to send National Guard troops and federal agents to cities where rioters and anti-ICE demonstrators have attacked federal property.
During an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard criticized the California Democrats’ rhetoric as reckless and dangerous.
Gabbard, a former Democrat herself, said the push to expose ICE agents was an example of how far the party had veered from protecting law and order.
“It reminds me of the reason why I and so many others have left the Democratic Party,” Gabbard told the host.
“You look at this party that is more interested in protecting criminals, cartel members, gangs, those who are causing incredible harm, ravaging our communities across the country, than they are actually standing up for the victims.”
Gabbard said that under Trump’s leadership, ICE recruitment had surged despite threats from political leaders.
“Why is that? Because these agents are signing up to serve and protect the American people,” she said.
Prosecute all Dems fror same antics NO exceptions