Newsom touted an increase in drug busts thanks to a partnership with CHP and the National Guard. He also criticized the Trump administration for immigration raids.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Governor Gavin Newsom spent the day in San Diego County, meeting with community groups and speaking to reporters about increased fentanyl enforcement in California and concerns surrounding recent ICE activity in the region.
Newsom began his visit by meeting with immigrant rights organizations in the South Bay, where advocates expressed alarm over what they describe as an increase in ICE raids. According to the governor, some community members — including Somali nationals — say they are afraid to leave their homes to carry out routine daily tasks.
“You can’t spend time with real people and not feel their pain and not feel their trauma,” Newsom said. “Donald Trump doesn’t understand that.”
Later in the day, Newsom traveled to Montgomery Field, where he held a news conference and highlighted stepped‑up enforcement efforts aimed at stopping fentanyl from entering California. The governor said the initiative began in 2021 and has led to significant drug seizures.
“We’re producing real results,” Newsom said.
According to the governor, law enforcement agencies have seized more than 50.6 million fentanyl pills, with an estimated street value of $506 million, along with 34,357 pounds of the drug.
Newsom credited the California Highway Patrol and the National Guard for their role in the effort to remove fentanyl from California streets.
“This is what the National Guard should be doing,” Newsom said. “It’s the kind of partnership that makes sense.”
The governor’s comments also included criticism of former President Donald Trump, referencing the decision to reassign National Guard troops from border operations to protect federal buildings in Los Angeles during protests over ICE raids.
Newsom also sharply criticized Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino, who was sent back to California from Minnesota following incidents in which two American citizens were killed by ICE agents.
“I’m shocked he still has his job,” Newsom said. “Though I’m also shocked Kristi Noem still has her job. Though she seems to have been pushed aside as well. Tom Homan, ironically, is now the adult in the room.”
Returning to the topic of immigration enforcement, Newsom argued that current ICE raid tactics are not about public safety.
“This is about terrorizing communities,” he said. “It’s about chaos. It’s about fear.”
The governor is expected to continue meeting with community groups in San Diego this evening and will remain in Southern California overnight. He is scheduled to hold another news conference on Tuesday in the Los Angeles area.