Trump-Era Attorney’s Firing Over Immigration Stance Recalled Amid Legal Debates
Trump-Era Attorney’s Firing Over Immigration Stance Recalled Amid Legal Debates
Years after the incident, the circumstances surrounding the firing of Sacramento’s acting US attorney, Michele Beckwith, by then-President Donald Trump continue to resonate. Beckwith was terminated on July 15, 2020, mere hours after she cautioned immigration agents against indiscriminately detaining individuals in her district, citing a federal court order.
The controversy unfolded when Gregory Bovino, head of the Border Patrol’s El Centro unit, informed Beckwith of a planned immigration raid in Sacramento. Beckwith reiterated that agents were bound by an April 2020 federal court order, which prohibited detention without reasonable suspicion. Her insistence on constitutional compliance preceded her abrupt termination, which she received via personal email after her work accounts were disabled.
Despite Beckwith’s warning and subsequent firing, Bovino proceeded with the raid two days later, publicly challenging the concept of ‘sanctuary cities’ and defending Border Patrol’s adherence to the Fourth Amendment, citing a Supreme Court decision from September 8, 2020. This ruling, which allowed federal immigration agents to stop people based on factors like race or language, had overturned a similar order in Los Angeles.
Beckwith’s case was part of a broader pattern of federal prosecutors being dismissed for not aligning with the Trump administration’s agenda. She appealed her termination, asserting her commitment to upholding the law. The incident remains a notable example of the executive branch’s pressure on legal officials during that period.
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