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Gavin Newsom Softens Rhetoric After Calling ICE Raids ‘Terrorism’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared to retreat from his earlier incendiary language about federal immigration enforcement during a wide-ranging interview with conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, acknowledging that…

Andrew Powell·Jan 16, 2026·3 min read

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared to retreat from his earlier incendiary language about federal immigration enforcement during a wide-ranging interview with conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, acknowledging that his characterization of ICE activity went too far.

According to Fox News, the exchange unfolded Thursday on Shapiro’s podcast, “This Is Gavin Newsom,” where the host pressed the Democratic governor about remarks made by Newsom’s office following an ICE-related shooting in Minnesota last week.

At the time, Newsom’s press operation described the incident as “state-sponsored terrorism,” a phrase that quickly drew backlash.

Shapiro told Newsom the language was harmful and escalated already toxic political discourse.

“And then your press office tweeted out that it was state-sponsored terrorism, which I mean, Governor, I do have to ask you about that,” Shapiro said. “That sort of thing makes our Politics worse. Yeah, I mean, it does. I mean, our ICE officers obviously are not terrorists. A tragic situation is not state-sponsored terrorism.”

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Gavin Newsom Softens Rhetoric After Calling ICE Raids ‘Terrorism’ — IJR

“Yeah, I think that’s fair,” Newsom replied.

The brief acknowledgment marked a noticeable shift in tone from a governor who has repeatedly framed ICE operations as dangerous and authoritarian, particularly under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Shapiro went on to ask whether California could do more to cooperate with federal immigration officials to reduce violent encounters. Newsom responded by pointing to what he described as extensive cooperation already taking place between California and ICE.

“That’s exactly what they do in California,” Newsom said. “And we have over 10,000 that I’ve cooperated with since I’ve been governor of California. We work very directly with ICE as it relates to state prison. California has cooperated with more ICE transfers probably than any other state in the country.”

He added that he personally blocked legislation that would have limited that cooperation.

“And I vetoed multiple pieces of legislation that have come from my legislature to stop the ability for the state of California to do that,” Newsom said.

The governor also defended California’s sanctuary policies, arguing they make illegal immigrants more willing to cooperate with law enforcement and participate in schools and civic life without fear of deportation. He blamed the federal government for failing to enact immigration reform.

“So, it’s the tool of pragmatism because of the complete abject failure of the federal government,” Newsom said. “Sanctuary policy is unnecessary if we had comprehensive immigration reform, and we had a federal response that was adequate to the task.”

When asked about progressive calls to abolish ICE altogether, Newsom distanced himself from the idea.

“I disagreed when I think a candidate for president by the name of Harris said that in the last campaign,” he said. “I remember being on Chris Hayes hours later saying I think that’s a mistake. So absolutely.”

Despite his partial walk-back, Newsom has a long record of using sharp anti-ICE rhetoric. As recently as September, he accused the Trump administration of engaging in authoritarian behavior through immigration enforcement.

“These are not just authoritarian tendencies; these are authoritarian actions by an authoritarian government,” Newsom said at the time.

Watch the video below: