Gavin Newsom walks back claim Minnesota ICE operations were 'state-sponsored terrorism'
Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., appeared to walk back his earlier comments calling ICE raids "state-sponsored terrorism" when asked by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro during an interview Thursday.
Shapiro brought up Newsom's comments, which were made shortly after news broke about an ICE-related shooting in Minnesota last week. Although Shapiro criticized Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's comments claiming the victim was taking part in "domestic terrorism," he expressed equal frustration over Newsom's statement.
"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 on "This is Gavin Newsom." "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."
"Yeah, I think that's fair," Newsom responded.
NOEM PUTS NEWSOM ON NOTICE, VOWS CALIFORNIA PROBE AFTER MINNESOTA FRAUD BUST
Shapiro went on to ask Newsom whether the state of California could do more to cooperate with ICE officers to prevent tragedies.
"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 [California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation] state prison. California has cooperated with more ICE transfers probably than any other state in the country. 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 also claimed sanctuary city policies in California kept illegal immigrants safer by allowing them to cooperate with law enforcement and participate in education without fear of being deported, blaming the Trump administration for failing to pass 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 by Shapiro, Newsom also criticized calls to "abolish ICE," saying he disagreed with the idea.
"I disagreed when I think a candidate for president by the name of Harris said that in the last campaign. I remember being on Chris Hayes hours later saying I think that's a mistake. So absolutely," Newsom said.
Newsom's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Newsom has repeatedly used anti-ICE rhetoric when criticizing the Trump administration. In September, he claimed that ICE raids were tendencies of an "authoritarian" government.
"People ask: ‘Well, is authoritarianism you being hyperbolic?’ Bulls--- we’re being hyperbolic … These are not just authoritarian tendencies, these are authoritarian actions by an authoritarian government," Newsom said.