Thumbs up: California pushes back against ICE chief

Last month, the acting head of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement created a stir when, in response to California’s new “sanctuary state” law, he pledged more immigration crackdowns. “California better hold on tight,” Thomas Homan said on Fox News. “They’re about to see a lot more special agents.” Eight days later, ICE agents visited four Sonoma County 7-Eleven stores as part of a nationwide sweep that netted no arrests in the North Bay.

Now comes a report that a large federal sweep is planned for the state. California lawmakers at seemingly every level are pushing back. “We are deeply concerned that rather than focusing efforts on violent criminals, raids carried out in neighborhoods and workplaces could result in the deportation of individuals who are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamal Harris wrote in a letter to Homan. They are pressing for a briefing on the raids and to see a full accounting of how ICE sweeps “are being prioritized and conducted.”

Nobody disputes that ICE has the authority to conduct such raids when reasonable cause exists. But given Homan’s rhetoric, it’s easy to conclude that this is more about retaliation against California than anything else. Thumbs up to local leaders for pushing back while also pushing for immigration reform.