The wild impact that ICE raids have had on citizens over the past few months has led our enraged governor, Gavin Newsom, to respond in various ways with no hesitation. 

The Worry Spreads Across California

Citizens’ greatest concerns began when ICE agents began conducting their arrests wearing face coverings on duty, to hide their own identities, and stopped and questioned random people, including US veterans and legal citizens on the street. Fear and anger among citizens heightened when agents visited their neighborhoods and homes without a warrant, which actually violates the 4th Amendment that guarantees people protection from unreasonable searches and seizures. And despite a large number of non-criminals proving legal identification to officers, many have still been arrested and sent away to detention centers. 

Main Cities Being Targeted

A massive number of ICE raids have taken place in California, and in more local areas such as Riverside, Los Angeles, Downey, and Santa Ana, which more directly affect the families of Santiago students. However, the highest crime rates in California cities alone are in Oakland, San Bernardino, Compton, and Stockton.

How Governor Newsom Responded

To calm Californians and keep immigrant families safe from being detained, the California Governor Gavin Newsom quickly acted in mid September by signing various bills restricting ICE’s abilities, like AB 49, a bill that prohibits ICE from entering specific properties without a warrant, and SB 98, one that requires facilities and schools to notify families about the presence of ICE, to keep them alerted and protected from possible risks.  

And on September 20, 2025, he then signed a more controversial bill to pass a law known as the “No Secret Police Act” that bans police forces like ICE from wearing coverings that mask their identity while on duty. 

How the Department of Homeland Security Responded

Newsom has consistently demonstrated a strong determination to challenge Republican policies and their direct impact on California. But citizens are beginning to wonder if these bans will eventually backfire, as it is believed that ICE will not comply with all of these bans, since the Department of Homeland Security has claimed that state laws cannot directly affect these federal law enforcement officials. But these claims also stem from the overall safety concerns of agents who will face increased harassment if their identities are revealed, as a result of their violent behavior.

The Risks and Outcomes ICE Faces 

The reason that ICE agents live in fear of harassment and being stalked is that their organized raids have outraged and devastated citizens, as their actions have proven to be unconstitutional in ways such as violating the 4th amendment of the Constitution. These actions led to a series of city protests and riots calling for peace in their country.

The Early Expectations, and how it Turned Ugly

The expectations of these raids and arrests when they first began were to decrease crime rates and illegal activity throughout the U.S, including immigration. Targeting individuals in high-crime cities and doing ID checks to confirm their identities. But these processes have quickly grown more violent and unconstitutional just over the span of several weeks of the services being enforced across the country. As a result, large protests and social media reports have suggested that these raids have not had any positive impact on people. And Newsom surely isn’t going to stop protecting California until ICE complies.