California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest op-ed reads like a Hollywood script, painting ICE raids as heartless Trumpian theater.
Breitbart reported that his Fox News Digital piece slams federal agents for workplace sweeps in Los Angeles, but the facts tell a grittier story. Newsom’s rhetoric dodges the criminal underpinnings of the operations, leaving readers to wonder if he’s more interested in headlines than truth.
Over two weeks, ICE targeted Southern California businesses, notably Ambiance Apparel, a clothing company suspected of money laundering, tax evasion, and customs fraud.
Federal agents, using unmarked vans, arrested unauthorized migrants, including convicted rapists and drug traffickers. Newsom calls this “cruelty,” but sidesteps the cartels possibly linked to the warehouse, as noted by Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan.
Newsom’s op-ed gripes about agents “grabbing people off the street,” yet DHS clarifies these were no random round-ups. Dr. Phil McGraw, citing a federal search warrant, debunked claims of indiscriminate arrests. The governor’s selective outrage ignores the legal backbone of ICE’s actions, prioritizing emotion over evidence.
One arrest in Hawthorne grabbed attention: Cary López Alvarado, a 28-year-old American citizen, was detained alongside her partner, an unauthorized migrant.
López Alvarado, nine months pregnant, reportedly blocked access to a car with two Guatemalan migrants, leading to her arrest for obstructing federal agents. Newsom’s claim of indiscriminate cruelty here feels like a stretch when DHS reports agents were assaulted during the incident.
López Alvarado’s hospitalization for stomach pain fueled Newsom’s narrative of federal overreach. Yet DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin noted that “anyone who obstructs or assaults law enforcement” faces consequences, citizen or not. The governor’s focus on her pregnancy sidesteps her alleged role in escalating the encounter.
Protests erupted, turning ugly as rioters threw wrenches and batteries at agents. Anti-ICE demonstrations led to looted businesses and injured officers, with state and local law enforcement stepping in to restore order. Newsom’s op-ed glosses over this violence, framing the chaos as a Trump-driven tragedy rather than a reaction to targeted enforcement.
President Trump deployed 4,000 California National Guard members and U.S. Marines to contain the unrest, a move Newsom branded “illegal.”
The governor accused Trump of betraying “core traditions” by commandeering state forces without his input. But with businesses burning and officers under attack, Newsom’s complaint rings more like political posturing than a defense of principle.
Newsom’s op-ed also takes aim at Trump’s broader immigration strategy, claiming it targets “hardworking immigrant families” to meet quotas.
DHS counters that the raids focused on serious criminals, not innocent workers. The governor’s plea for unity against Trump’s “fealty” feels like a call to ignore the rapists and smugglers caught in the sweeps.
Sen. Alex Padilla’s run-in at a DHS press conference added fuel to Newsom’s fire. Padilla, removed for interrupting without identifying himself, was mistaken for an attacker by Secret Service, per DHS. Newsom’s framing of this as Trump “manhandling” a senator conveniently omits Padilla’s failure to follow protocol.
In Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka faced arrest for allegedly trespassing at an ICE facility on May 9. Charges were later dropped, but Congresswoman LaMonica McIver, involved in the same incident, still faces charges for assaulting officers.
Newsom cites these events as proof of Trump’s heavy-handedness, yet footage shows McIver pushing law enforcement, undercutting his victim narrative. Newsom’s op-ed paints a picture of federal agents run amok, chasing people through fields and snatching pregnant women.
But McLaughlin’s statement clarifies that arrests targeted those obstructing justice, with rioters escalating tensions by attacking agents. The governor’s selective storytelling skips the part where law enforcement faced physical assaults.
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, tied the Ambiance Apparel investigation to Latin American cartels, a detail Newsom ignores.
Instead, he accuses the administration of chasing headlines through “mass deportations.” The governor’s dodge of the cartel angle suggests he’s more comfortable with optics than confronting organized crime.
Newsom’s call to “stand together” against Trump’s policies rings hollow when weighed against the raids’ focus on criminal enterprises. His op-ed leans on emotional anecdotes, like López Alvarado’s arrest, while downplaying the violence and criminality ICE targeted. It’s a classic progressive tactic: tug heartstrings, skip context.
