Newsom says Trump’s ICE agents must be ‘reined in’, demands accountability and clear identification

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: Gavin Newsom has a message for President Donald Trump’s ICE agents as he demanded “federal accountability and clear identification.” The California governor’s Monday, March 23, statement came amid the deployment of ICE agents to airports amid the ongoing shutdown.  

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Democrat wrote, “Trump’s ICE agents need to be reined in and held to the same standards as any other law enforcement agency. Federal accountability and clear identification shouldn’t be optional.”

Gavin Newsom tells Californians how to 'stay safe' from ICE agents

In an earlier post, Newsom had urged Californians to know their “legal rights” as ICE agents were deployed to airports to assist the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) amid the partial shutdown.

“Californians: If you're going to the airport, it's crucial to know your legal rights and how to stay safe around Trump's federal agents. Know your rights," the governor wrote, providing a link to a page of the Immigrant Defense Project website. 

Gavin Newsom says ICE has become Trump's 'personal police force'

A day earlier, on Sunday, the governor’s press office also slammed Trump's move of deploying ICE agents to airports.

The post read, “By sending ICE into airports, Trump is proving the problem in real time: ICE has become the president’s lawless, under-trained, personal police force, deployed to serve his agenda — not the law.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been shut down for over a month as Democrats have demanded major reforms to how immigration enforcement operates, like a ban on masks for ICE agents and stricter warrant requirements for public arrests, before sanctioning funding following the killing of two US citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents. 

Trump admin slams Democrats for putting Americans' 'safety, dependability, and ease of air travel' at risk

Meanwhile, Trump has justified his decision.

In a Truth Social post, he wrote, “If the Democrats do not allow for Just and Proper Security at our Airports, and elsewhere throughout our Country, ICE will do the job far better than ever done before! The Fascist Democrats will never protect America, but the Republicans will.”

Besides, DHS acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis told The Daily Beast, “Because of the Democrat shutdown, President Trump is using every tool available to help American travelers who are facing hours-long lines at airports across the country—especially during this spring break and holiday season that is very important for many American families.”

“While the Democrats continue to put the safety, dependability, and ease of our air travel at risk, President Trump is taking action to deploy hundreds of ICE officers, that are currently funded by Congress, to airports being adversely impacted. This will help bolster TSA efforts to keep our skies safe and minimize air travel disruptions,” Bis added.