US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are greeted by California Governor Gavin Newsom upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, on January 24, 2025, to visit the region devastated by the Palisades and Eaton fires. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Los Angeles, California – California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pressing the Trump administration for answers after nearly 100 federal agents appeared outside his press conference in Los Angeles last week, a move he says was meant to intimidate political opponents.
On Thursday, as Newsom stood in Little Tokyo announcing California’s plans to challenge Republican-led redistricting efforts, Customs and Border Protection agents swarmed the area. The Department of Homeland Security described it as “routine patrols,” but to Newsom, the timing and scale of the operation looked anything but routine.
On Sunday, the governor said his office had filed a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act to uncover the motives behind the deployment. “Trump’s use of the military and federal law enforcement to try to intimidate his political opponents is yet another dangerous step towards authoritarianism,” Newsom said. “We will not back down in our defense of democratic freedom.”
The request, sent to the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies, seeks all records, communications, and directives related to the August 14 operation. The letter also asks for information about alleged coordination between the administration and Fox News, which reportedly embedded a reporter and camera crew with ICE agents near the event.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass dismissed the episode as a political stunt. “Federal resources should be focused on keeping people safe, not staging shows of force outside a governor’s press conference,” she said.
The clash comes as California lawmakers prepare to reconvene Monday, when redistricting will be front and center. Democrats unveiled proposed maps Friday that would target more than half of the state’s Republican congressional seats, with plans to put the new maps before voters in November. The effort is a direct counter to Texas Republicans, who, with support from President Trump, are pushing mid-decade redraws designed to add at least five GOP seats.
This is not Newsom’s first attempt to shine a light on what he calls the misuse of federal power. Earlier this month, his office filed another FOIA request seeking to account for the costs of deploying U.S. Marines and federalizing the National Guard in Los Angeles since June 7. Pentagon staff testified to Congress that the operation could cost $134 million.
What makes the latest episode more striking is the symbolism. A governor speaking about voting rights and democratic safeguards suddenly flanked by heavily armed federal agents underscores the extent to which battles over redistricting and electoral fairness have become intertwined with questions of presidential power.
Whether DHS provides the transparency Newsom is demanding remains to be seen. But his challenge reflects a broader concern — that the machinery of federal law enforcement is being pulled into political fights in ways that echo more fragile democracies abroad.
