California continues to wage its war against immigration enforcement with a new online portal for the public to report federal agents for misconduct, excessive force, and other unlawful activity.
Apparently, California’s mask bans for law enforcement, “Rapid Response” networks, sanctuary policies, disregard for ICE detainers, and never-ending lawsuits haven’t gone far enough to thwart federal immigration laws. The new online portal allows tipsters to submit tips anonymously as well as upload photos and videos.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the online portal on Wednesday as a way to gather information and document “potentially unlawful activity” by federal agents and officers across the state.
The governor’s office issued a press release recognizing that “Federal agents have broad authority to enforce federal laws, including federal immigration laws,” but adding that “they must do so lawfully.”
The portal will help make it easier for the public to share information with the California Department of Justice. And with nearly 50 lawsuits filed against the Trump administration so far, AG Bonta seems poised to use it in court if he can.
Similar to a tip line, the portal allows people to submit videos and photos to help “create a record of potential unlawful conduct by federal agents, and inform possible legal actions the state may take to protect Californians’ rights.”
According to the portal webpage, examples of potentially unlawful activity by federal law enforcement agents include use of excessive force, unlawful searches or arrests, unlawful detentions, interference with voting, or other civil-rights violations.
The webpage also specifically mentions reporting “potentially unlawful activity” by agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or federalized National Guard soldiers or airmen.
Employing extreme anti-ICE rhetoric, Bonta said the Trump administration is engaging in a “campaign of terror and fear that has left some California communities scared to go about their daily lives.”
He continued: “From unmarked military-style vehicles to detainments that more closely resemble kidnappings, Californians are rightly concerned that federal agents may be crossing the line and abusing their authority. The President’s actions these past 10 months only lend support to this conclusion.”
However, the Attorney General is prohibited by law from representing private individuals or providing legal advice.
“Filing a complaint in the portal does not mean that the Attorney General will necessarily take any particular action on your complaint,” according to the press release. “The Portal does not constitute formal reporting of a crime to a law enforcement agency, and will not result in an immediate law enforcement response.”
Newsom, who appears to be gearing up for a 2028 presidential campaign, and his Governor Newsom Press Office team on X seem to simultaneously copy and attack what President Donald Trump does.
“We’re not going to stand by while anyone — including federal agents — abuses their authority in California,” Newsom said in a statement. “This new portal gives Californians an easy and safe way to speak up, share what they see, and help us hold people accountable. No one is above the law.
The Governor Newsom Press Office account shared the anti-ICE portal announcement, which follows recent news that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has launched a hotline for people to report crime tips at HUD-funded properties.
Residents, visitors and others can directly report criminals, gang members, illegal aliens, sex offenders, human traffickers and other suspicious activity at public housing. In another recent post, DHS added: “Want affordable housing? Help report illegal aliens in your area. Call 866-DHS-2-ICE.”
Want affordable housing?
Help report illegal aliens in your area.
Call 866-DHS-2-ICE. pic.twitter.com/pNU8xwDDtZ
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) December 2, 2025
Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, also responded to the news online, posting “We have a portal too. People can report California state officials engaged in illegal activity at the following link: https://tips.fbi.gov.”
We have a portal too. People can report California state officials engaged in illegal activity at the following link:https://t.co/clYnZnrwmp https://t.co/EjQgkJiNtw
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) December 3, 2025
Less than a month ago, Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, was indicted and accused of corruption and conspiring to defraud the United States, Just the News reported.
Williamson, who was indicted by a federal grand jury on 23 charges, served as Newsom’s top aide from 2022 through the end of 2024.
In the lengthy press release, Newsom’s office highlighted how it is holding the federal government accountable. Since Jan. 20, California, through the California Department of Justice, has filed 48 lawsuits challenging the Trump Administration’s “illegal actions.”
“President Trump and Stephen Miller’s immigration agenda is built on arbitrary quotas with evident disdain for due process, safety and Americans’ rights,” the release stated. “In California, their tactics have terrorized communities, traumatized students and workers, disrupted businesses, and endangered public safety for American citizens.”
The ongoing war of words — particularly online barbs — between Newsom and Trump has continued to escalate since June, after immigration raids in southern California prompted widespread riots and assaults on ICE agents and Border Patrol.
California officials have bragged about helping to resist and obstruct ICE through “Rapid Response” networks, called for gangs to push back in their territory, offered cash assistance to illegal immigrants and passed a law banning law enforcement and federal agents from wearing masks while on duty.
Newsom recently signed into law additional measures that “build upon the nation’s strongest laws to protect Californians from reckless tactics being employed by rogue federal immigration officers at the bidding of Stephen Miller,” according to the news release.
Under the law, families will be notified when immigration enforcement comes on school campuses. Student information and classrooms are protected from ICE and CBP, and require a judicial warrant or court order to be accessed.
Licensed childcare facilities and state preschools will not collect immigration-related information from students and families, according to the release.
Additionally, the law bans immigration arrests in emergency rooms and other nonpublic areas in a public hospital without a judicial warrant or court order, and immigration information collected by a health care provider is protected as medical information.
