Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) responded to California gubernatorial hopeful Tom Steyer, who published a manifesto last week laying out his plan to wage war on agents if he wins the election.
After the Democrats dropped a nuke on Eric Swalwell, who was chased from the race over allegations of sexual assault, the billionaire climate change zealot moved quickly to position himself as the most anti-ICE candidate, vowing to put agents behind bars.
Steyer went directly for the throat, titling his manifesto “How California Can Put ICE in Jail” in a threat to make the Golden State an even more hostile place for federal immigration enforcement than it has been under Gavin Newsom.
“Tom Steyer, ICE is not a political football,” the agency said in a weekend post to X.
Tom Steyer, ICE is not a political football.
Our agents and officers are sworn to protect this nation from dangerous criminals ranging from child abusers to cartel members, and we urge you to join us in protecting Californians from these ongoing threats. pic.twitter.com/uAfGO0FSof
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) April 18, 2026
“Our agents and officers are sworn to protect this nation from dangerous criminals ranging from child abusers to cartel members, and we urge you to join us in protecting Californians from these ongoing threats,” ICE added.
Steyer wasted no time in firing back.
To Californians, you ARE the ongoing threat.
The governor’s most important job is to protect Californians — that includes protecting them from ICE. https://t.co/7jwb10cGmC
— Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) April 19, 2026
“To Californians, you ARE the ongoing threat,” he wrote on X in response to the ICE post. “The governor’s most important job is to protect Californians — that includes protecting them from ICE.”
“I’ve made it clear: ICE must be abolished. ICE is acting like a criminal organization, carrying out indiscriminate racial profiling and using violence, intimidation, terrorism, and the murder of Americans to extend Trump’s rule by fear,” the filthy rich Democrat wrote in his anti-ICE manifesto, which was published on April 14.
As Democratic candidates make moves to solidify their support ahead of the gubernatorial primary, Tom Steyer released a new plan that would take drastic steps to combat ICE — including jailing agents. https://t.co/Z3rwGvs9wT pic.twitter.com/98HNIGoTXG
— KTLA (@KTLA) April 15, 2026
“It’s not enough for Democrats to simply engage in rhetoric and ‘stand’ against ICE or Trump. California must build a system that fights fire with fire. To stop this authoritarian takeover, we must counter ICE head-on and go after both their agents on the streets and their leadership within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),” he continued.
“How do we do this?” Steyer asked. “The same way we took on the mob. Put ICE agents and their leadership in jail for their crimes, because that’s how you take on a violent extremist group and win.”
“Trump has turned ICE into a criminal enterprise, so let’s treat it as such. As governor, I’ll go after ICE the way Eliot Ness and Joe Friday went after the Mob: bring them to justice by using their most basic crimes against them. For the Mob, it was racketeering; for ICE, it’s racial discrimination,” he vowed.
With the June 2 primary rapidly approaching, it would seem that Steyer is well-positioned for a late push with money to burn, and now he has tapped into the anti-ICE, anti-Trump hatred that fuels the Democrat base.
The impact of Swalwell’s exit remains unclear, with no obvious favorite among a crowded field of Democrats, and the possibility that two GOP candidates would emerge from the state’s “jungle primary” being the best-case scenario for the Golden State, which has already suffered enough under Newsom.
A Governor Steyer would be Newsom on steroids.
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