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California has launched an online portal for members of the public to report misconduct by federal authorities amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign that has pitted the White House against local and state officials.
The portal was announced Wednesday by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta, both frequent critics of President Donald Trump and the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents going after illegal immigrants across the state.
“We’re not going to stand by while anyone — including federal agents — abuses their authority in California,” Newsom said in a statement. “This new portal gives Californians an easy and safe way to speak up, share what they see, and help us hold people accountable. No one is above the law.”
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The site allows the public to upload images and video footage to assist the California Department of Justice create a record of potential unlawful conduct by federal agents in an effort to determine possible legal actions the state may take.
Newsom and other California Democrats have said that some federal agents have abused their authority by targeting illegal immigrants for deportation amid a series of raids across the state.
The Trump administration has maintained that federal agents are going after illegal immigrants with criminal records, some of whom have committed violent crimes and have sexually abused children.
“Gavin Newscum and the state of California should be more concerned with the dangerous criminal illegal aliens they’ve allowed to invade American communities, rather than attacking law enforcement officers,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital.
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“ICE officers are facing a 1000% increase in assaults against them because of dangerous, untrue smears from elected Democrats,” she added. “ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law and protect American communities with the utmost professionalism. Anyone pointing the finger at law enforcement officers instead of the criminals are simply doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens.”
In a separate statement, Bonta said the Trump administration has engaged in a “campaign of terror and fear that has left some California communities scared to go about their daily lives.”
“From unmarked military-style vehicles to detainments that more closely resemble kidnappings, Californians are rightly concerned that federal agents may be crossing the line and abusing their authority,” he said. “The President’s actions these past 10 months only lend support to this conclusion.”
Since Trump took office on Jan. 20, California has filed 48 lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s actions.
In response to Trump’s immigration agenda, Newsom signed a bill in October to prohibit licensed childcare facilities and state preschools from collecting immigration-related information from students and families. He also signed a bill to block authorities from wearing masks during immigration enforcement operations, which is being challenged in court.
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