BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Governor Gavin Newsom's office released court documents Wednesday that he says show an immigration raid outside a press conference in August 2025 was politically motivated and intended to deter people from attending.
On Aug. 14, 2025, while Newsom was holding a press conference about Prop 50, a ballot measure that would redistrict California, Border Patrol agents moved into downtown Los Angeles near the event.
At the time, Chief of Border Patrol's El Centro Sector Gregory Bovino said the operation was targeted and consistent with previous activity in the area.
"Today, Customs and Border Protection is conducting roving patrol duties here. As you can see, in downtown Los Angeles, this is a location that we have conducted these roving patrol duties for the past two months. We've been here over two months, and as you can see today, we did make an apprehension just a few feet from where I'm standing," Bovino said on August 14, 2025.
Newsom called the raid a political tactic deployed by the Trump administration at the time. His office now says court documents verify that claim.
In a deposition and accompanying text messages cited in an ongoing lawsuit, one homeland security agent said, "We were told to assist with targeted enforcement. That is not target(ed) enforcement. That was just a political agenda."
The governor's office said in Wednesday's release, "These newly released court records directly contradict repeated public claims from the Trump administration that the immigration raid was unrelated to Governor Newsom."
Flor Olvera, a former committee member for the Kern County Democratic Party, said after reviewing the documents, the central question should not be about immigration enforcement itself, but about how agents were and continue to be used.
"Democrat or a Republican issue, I think that's an issue that everybody should be focused on and questions should be asked. I don't think this is a question on immigration or the crackdown on immigration more than it is about how these agents are being utilized," said Olvera. "You can disagree with Gavin Newsom, but you can also agree that federal agents were being utilized in the incorrect manner in this particular instance and ask more questions about how they've been used since then," Olvera said.
23ABC reached out to a White House spokesperson for comment on the release but did not hear back by news time.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
