Sacramento Border Patrol Raids Spark Outrage, Legal Challenges Amidst Ongoing Immigration Crackdown

In a highly coordinated operation, U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted raids on a Home Depot and other sites across Sacramento on Thursday, in a move widely seen as a forceful message from the Trump administration on immigration enforcement, despite existing legal hurdles. The actions, taking place hundreds of miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, have ignited immediate condemnation from California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office and sparked renewed debate over federal immigration tactics within a sanctuary state.

Following the sweeps, Greg Bovino, the U.S. Border chief of the El Centro sector, who has been overseeing operations in Southern California, posted a video on X from outside the state Capitol. In the video, Bovino declared, “There is no such thing as a sanctuary city. There’s no such thing as a sanctuary state. This is how and why we secure the homeland for Ma and Pa America. We’ve got your back, whether it’s here in Sacramento or nationwide, we’re here and we’re not going anywhere.”

Governor Newsom’s office swiftly denounced the raids. Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for Newsom, stated, “The Border Patrol should do their jobs — at the border— instead of continuing their tirade statewide of illegal racial profiling and illegal arrests.” This latest enforcement action follows Newsom’s earlier criticism of Trump’s immigration policies, voiced at a Downey Memorial Christian Church where agents had previously arrested a patron. Newsom highlighted the fear instilled in communities, recounting a meeting with a young girl carrying her passport, stating, “She’s here legally. She’s carrying her passport. That’s Trump’s America, 2025.”

The Sacramento raids occurred just days after a federal judge in Los Angeles issued a block on agents using racial profiling for warrantless arrests in Southern California. Furthermore, Sacramento, along with the Central Valley and large parts of Northern California, is already subject to a preliminary injunction stemming from unlawful raids initiated by Bovino in January targeting farmworkers in Kern County.

The Department of Homeland Security reported 11 arrests of undocumented immigrants during the operation, including Javier Dimas-Alcantara, described as a “dangerous serial drug abuser” with 67 prior jail bookings. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the actions, stating, “You would not want this man to be your neighbor. And yet, politicians like Gavin Newsom defend criminals who terrorize American communities and demonize law enforcement who defend those same communities.”

Videos circulating on social media from Thursday’s events show the controversial arrest of Jose Castillo Jr., a 31-year-old American citizen and HVAC repairman, at the Home Depot. His wife, Andrea Castillo, captured footage showing agents pinning her husband to the ground, causing him to bleed, while she repeatedly screamed, “He’s a U.S. citizen!” She also reported hearing her husband say, “I can’t breathe.” The incident bears striking resemblance to previous raids in Los Angeles in June.

Advocacy groups like NorCal Resist and United Farm Workers (UFW) have expressed skepticism regarding the official narrative, citing a pattern of false allegations by ICE and CBP. Elizabeth Strater, a national vice president of UFW, whose office has been inundated with calls, described a video showing federal agents kneeling on a small woman, calling it “brutalizing a community.” Her organization is now investigating whether Border Patrol violated the terms of a judge’s order from April that found the agency engaged in unconstitutional detentions.

Sacramento City Councilmember Caity Maple, whose district includes the raided Home Depot, expressed shock, noting the unusual presence of Border Patrol so far inland. She confirmed that local law enforcement was not notified of the operation, raising questions about jurisdiction and coordination for an agency typically focused on border security.

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