Newsom calls ICE Trump's 'private domestic army'

“We’re losing confidence and trust in law enforcement,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said

Published: September 24, 2025 3:02pm

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) called U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement President Trump's "private domestic army."

Newsom made the comment on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Tuesday night, hours before a shooter opened fire at a Dallas ICE facility, killing one detainee and injuring two others, the New York Post reported.

The governor also said the Trump administration's “authoritarian tendencies” and that the “ICE issue is alarming beyond words.”

“People ask, ‘Well, is authoritarianism you being hyperbolic?’ Bullsh-t we’re being hyperbolic. If you’re a black or brown community, it’s here in this country… These are not just authoritarian tendencies; these are authoritarian actions by an authoritarian government,” Newsom said.

“We’re losing confidence and trust in law enforcement,” he claimed.

“That’s happening in the United States of America: Masked men jumping out of unmarked cars, people disappearing, no due process, no oversight, zero accountability,” Newsom said. “This can’t be normalized. None of this can be normalized.”

Newsom's remarks come after he signed a bill into law banning ICE agents from masking up to conceal their identities.

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