Newsom Claims Enforcing Immigration Laws Equals a White Supremacy Civil War Plot [WATCH]

President Donald Trump and the Department of Homeland Security are facing escalating accusations from prominent Democratic leaders as federal immigration enforcement actions continue in Minnesota and other states.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom accused the Trump administration of deliberately inflaming tensions, making the remarks during comments to reporters as Democrats intensified their public opposition to immigration enforcement in Democrat-controlled states.

“He’s trying to stoke a Civil War in this country,” Newsom said.

“It’s a disgrace what he’s doing in Minneapolis. It’s a disgrace what his DHS [Department of Homeland Security] is putting out. Very intentionally stoking tensions. White supremacy being promoted. None of this is normal and it cannot be normalized,” he added.

Newsom did not explain how enforcement of federal immigration laws promotes “white supremacy.”

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His comments came as Democrats across several states increased their public attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol activity tied to the Trump administration.

The rhetoric has intensified amid broader political tensions surrounding immigration enforcement and public safety.

The U.S. Civil War resulted in the deaths of roughly 700,000 Americans, including the sitting president at the time, a historical reference frequently cited by critics warning against political language invoking internal conflict.

Newsom, who is widely expected to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, has increasingly positioned himself as a national voice opposing Trump administration policies.

His remarks followed similar statements from other Democratic leaders criticizing immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota, California, Illinois, and elsewhere.

Democrats have also pushed back as administration officials have publicly linked large-scale migration to taxpayer-funded fraud schemes and alleged corruption involving local political networks.

In Minnesota, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem addressed those concerns earlier this week.

“We believe that [Gov. Tim Walz] didn’t just know about it, that he may be complicit in it as well,” Noem told reporters during a gaggle at the White House on Thursday.

In Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker echoed claims raised by a journalist who characterized Trump’s immigration enforcement actions as an “invasion” of states.

“Well, that’s exactly right, I think you’ve characterized it exactly properly,” Pritzker said.

INSANE!

JB Pritzker agrees that ICE operations targeted at arresting heinous criminals — including rapists, pedophiles, and murderers — are the same as declaring “Martial Law.”

PRITZKER: “Well that’s exactly right, I think you’ve characterized it exactly properly.” pic.twitter.com/w4b4HMpbt4

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 16, 2026

Like Newsom, Pritzker is also viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender.

In Minnesota, Democratic members of Congress joined state officials at a public hearing criticizing the Trump administration’s actions.

On Friday, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) led a group of Democrats at a Minnesota hearing titled “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Deadly Assault on Minnesota.”

“This is the behavior of a paramilitary force operating outside the bounds of law,” Omar said.

“People have been indiscriminately shoved in the streets, pushed into oncoming traffic and nearly hit by buses,” she added.

Jayapal also accused federal agents of widespread misconduct.

“At a time of intense trauma and terror for Minnesotans … are being subjected to the lawlessness and violence of ICE and Border Patrol agents,” Jayapal said.

“What is happening in Minnesota is a pattern that is dangerous to every single person in America, because if they can erode the rights of some, they can do it to you,” she said.

“No one is safe.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey appeared before the same panel and accused federal immigration authorities of creating disorder in the city.

His comments mirrored a broader Democratic campaign theme focused on portraying the Trump administration as a source of instability.

“This is about sowing chaos on the streets of Minneapolis,” Frey said.

He went on to describe specific incidents he attributed to immigration enforcement operations.

“They have taken people out of their cars to detain them on major streets, left the car running, not in park! Car rolls down the streets … We’ve had small children that have been damaged by the inhalation of some form of gas. We’ve had loose dogs that were left unattended in the streets after ICE arrested and drove away with its own this is not making Minneapolis safer. This is not about safety,” Frey said.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison also criticized the enforcement actions, claiming Trump’s immigration operations in Minneapolis were unlawful.

Trump’s enforcement actions are “unjustified, unconstitutional, damages our state [and] interferes with our sovereignty,” Ellison said.

The increasingly aggressive rhetoric from Democratic officials has coincided with reports of threats directed at federal agents and law enforcement officers involved in immigration enforcement.

Administration officials have warned that language portraying federal operations as illegitimate or violent risks encouraging interference with lawful enforcement activity.

The Trump administration has maintained that ICE and Border Patrol agents are enforcing existing federal law and that states and local officials are prohibited from obstructing those efforts.

Federal officials have not announced any changes to immigration operations in Minnesota or other states amid the political dispute.

As immigration enforcement continues, the clash between Democratic leaders and the Trump administration shows no sign of easing, with rhetoric escalating on both sides as the issue moves toward the center of the 2026 and 2028 political landscape.