California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a forceful statement calling for an immediate halt to federal immigration enforcement operations, following the shooting of a U.S. citizen by immigration agents in Minneapolis. The remarks came as protests erupted across the country, with hundreds of demonstrators taking to the streets in multiple cities, including New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.
Newsom directly criticized leadership within the Department of Homeland Security and the Trump administration, demanding that Secretary Kristi Noem resign and that Greg Bovino, a senior federal official, be fired. He called for a nationwide suspension of mass deportation raids, arguing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was no longer focusing solely on dangerous criminals. Newsom also urged the return of Border Patrol agents to the border and an end to what he described as the militarization of ICE and systemic racial profiling.
No new funding.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 25, 2026
Kristi Noem must RESIGN.
Greg Bovino must be FIRED.
Suspend the LAWLESS mass deportation raids nationwide NOW — ICE is no longer just deporting dangerous criminals.
Send the border patrol back to the border.
End the militarization of ICE + the sick racial…
In his statement, Newsom condemned federal policies that provide financial incentives to agents, describing them as “perverse cash incentives that are bounties to perpetrate Trump’s cruel agenda.” He called for rigorous new standards for federal enforcement officers, including thorough background checks for all agents and at least two years of training before they are allowed to operate in the field. Additionally, he demanded that all federal agents who violate the law be investigated and prosecuted.
Newsom’s remarks were prompted by the shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, who was killed during a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis. Federal officials said a Border Patrol agent fired in self-defense after Pretti allegedly attacked officers with a gun. Video footage reviewed by Reuters, however, shows Pretti holding a phone and attempting to protect other protesters from being pushed to the ground by agents. Moments later, Pretti was shot multiple times while pinned to the street. The incident prompted protests in Minneapolis and beyond, as local leaders and residents questioned the federal account of events.
The Minneapolis shooting is the second high-profile incident in the city this month involving federal immigration agents, and it has intensified longstanding tensions between state and federal authorities. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for an immediate end to federal enforcement operations, citing public safety concerns and the refusal of federal agents to allow local officials to participate in investigations. Protests have continued despite federal agents leaving the area, with crowds demanding accountability and an end to aggressive immigration tactics.
Today, we lost another Minneapolis neighbor after multiple ICE agents pummeled him and shot him to death.
— Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) January 24, 2026
How many more people need to die or get shot before this ends?
President Trump, I am calling on you to put the American people and this American city first & get ICE out. pic.twitter.com/iGkziVRPUI
Newsom’s statement reflects a growing pushback against federal immigration enforcement in response to incidents like Pretti’s death. By calling for leadership changes, an end to nationwide raids, a return of agents to border duties, and accountability measures for lawbreaking officers, Newsom outlined a series of steps that would dramatically reshape how ICE and Border Patrol operate in the United States.
