California Will Not Bend the Knee

I've spent my career defending the rights of the accused and upholding the rule of law in a state that prides itself on justice, compassion, and resistance to tyranny. But once again, we find ourselves at a crossroads, staring down the barrel of Donald Trump's latest assault on our values: his vicious ICE enforcement and raids, coupled with a reckless disregard for California's sovereignty and the rule of law.

This isn't just policy disagreement—this is Donald Trump showing absolute contempt for the principles that hold our nation together. California will not bend the knee to fascism. We will not bow to would-be kings.

Families Torn Apart by Cruelty Disguised as Law

In recent weeks, Trump's administration has unleashed a wave of ICE raids targeting hardworking undocumented immigrants across the country, with California bearing the brunt of this calculated cruelty. Families are being ripped apart, communities are living in terror, and our state's sanctuary laws—designed to protect vulnerable people and foster trust between law enforcement and communities—are under vicious attack.

Trump's rhetoric paints immigrants as criminals while the data screams the opposite truth: undocumented immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than native-born citizens. His raids target people at their workplaces, in their neighborhoods, anywhere they dare to build a life. This isn't about safety—it's about power, control, and the deliberate sowing of fear.

I've witnessed this human devastation firsthand in my practice. I've seen clients who fled violence in Central and South America, who came here desperately seeking a chance at a better life for their children, swept up without cause and thrown into detention despite having no criminal record whatsoever. Their children—many of them U.S. citizens—are stripped of their parents and abandoned in limbo. This isn't justice. This is state-sanctioned cruelty.

Constitutional Crisis: When Federal Power Becomes Tyranny

The standoff between California and the federal government is escalating into a full-blown constitutional crisis. Our state has long championed sanctuary policies like the California Values Act (SB 54), which limits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. These laws aren't acts of rebellion—they're exercises of our constitutional rights under the Tenth Amendment, designed to ensure that immigrants feel safe reporting crimes and engaging with police without fear of deportation.

But Trump's administration is attempting to bully California into submission, threatening to withhold federal funding and deploying ICE agents to conduct sweeps in brazen defiance of our state's laws. The Tenth Amendment explicitly reserves powers to the states, and California has every right—every duty—to set its own course on immigration enforcement.

Trump's actions violate the rule of law in multiple, egregious ways. His administration's contempt for state sovereignty undermines the very federalist structure of our Constitution. The indiscriminate nature of these raids—often conducted without proper warrants or meaningful oversight—tramples on due process, the cornerstone of our legal system. I've seen clients swept up in these operations, detained without clear evidence of wrongdoing, and denied access to counsel. This isn't law enforcement—it's lawlessness dressed up as policy, tyranny masquerading as order.

California Fights Back: Resistance is Patriotic

California's response has been resolute and righteous. Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta have vowed to fight back with everything we've got, filing lawsuits to challenge federal overreach and protect our sanctuary laws. Local law enforcement agencies, particularly in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, have doubled down on their commitment to non-cooperation with ICE, understanding that their job is to serve and protect our communities, not to terrorize them.

But this fight is bigger than our elected officials—it's about all of us. It's about every Californian who believes in justice over cruelty, in law over authoritarianism, in hope over fear. We must stand together, from the courtrooms to the streets, to reject Trump's authoritarian tactics with every fiber of our being.

No Kings, No Fascists, Only Justice

This isn't the first time Trump has tried to twist the law to serve his will, and it won't be the last. His vision of America—one ruled by fear, division, and unchecked executive power—has no place in the Golden State. California has always been a beacon of resistance, a state that embraces diversity and fights fiercely for the marginalized. We are the America that America aspires to be.

We will not comply with unjust orders. We will not abandon our values for the convenience of federal bullies. We will not let a would-be king dictate our future or crush the dreams of those who seek refuge in our state.

The choice before us is crystal clear: we can submit to tyranny, or we can stand up and fight for the soul of our democracy. California chooses to fight.

No fascism. No kings. Only justice.