“If YOU show up to the polls illegally, we will find you. We will track you down, arrest you, and prosecute you. There will be no escape,” Newsom wrote on X.
California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday threatened to prosecute US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents should they be observed at the polls on election day. The threat was in response to ICE warning illegal aliens on social media that it’s unlawful for them to vote.
“If YOU show up to the polls illegally, we will find you. We will track you down, arrest you, and prosecute you. There will be no escape,” Newsom wrote on X, responding to ICE.
This comes as the state of California continues to go head-to-head with the federal government over allegations of thousands of noncitizens appearing on voter rolls. The state sued to block the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) efforts to sequester the flagged ballots of potential noncitizens until citizenship is verified.
Just hours before the polls close, the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled en banc that the DOJ can request to sequester the ballots and threaten prosecution should officials assist with unlawful ballot processing.
Governor Newsom issued a follow-up post, this time aiming at the president’s “thugs.”
“A WARNING TO DONALD TRUMP'S THUGS: If you violate California’s laws, if you interfere with the vote, you will be prosecuted,” Newsom wrote on X, doubling down on threats following the appeals court ruling that the DOJ can threaten prosecution.
Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, has mobilized more than 1,000 election monitors to all 50 states to ensure free and fair elections, she said. Dhillon has been spearheading the Trump administration’s efforts to prevent potential voter fraud, though such efforts have been met with fierce opposition in Democratic-run states, including California.
“Election integrity has been one of the top priorities for this Administration and this Division,” said Dhillon in a press release. “I am very proud we are deploying the largest monitoring effort in DOJ history, and pursuing transparency for elections in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner.”
Dhillon has also made it clear that noncitizens are not allowed to vote in US federal elections, previously writing on X: “Knowingly encouraging noncitizens to vote or conspiring to fraudulently register noncitizens is a federal crime.”
Members of the public can report suspicious election activity to local election officials or the DOJ Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931 or VEM@usdoj.gov, said Dhillon.
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