California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office posted on X that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem “is going to have a bad day.” On Saturday, a federal attorney stated that he had alerted the Secret Service about the remark.
The governor’s press office later released a statement indicating his intention to sign legislation opposing Noem’s immigration-related agenda. Newsom claimed that the original post was intended to draw attention to the fact that the upcoming legislation will “run in complete contrast to what [Noem’s] asserting and what she’s pushing,” according to Politico.
Bilal Essayli, the acting U.S. attorney for the Central District of California and a Trump administration appointee who has vigorously advocated for indictments in high-profile protests in Los Angeles, said on X that he requested a threat assessment regarding the wording of the original post from the Secret Service. “We have zero tolerance for direct or implicit threats against government officials,” he wrote.
The Department of Justice’s communication was received by the Secret Service’s field office, the agency said in a news statement on X. “To preserve operational integrity, we are not able to comment on specific protective intelligence matters,” the agency wrote. “However, the U.S. Secret Service must vigorously investigate any situation or individual, regardless of position or status, that could pose or be perceived as posing a threat to any of our protectees. Especially in a politically charged climate, such as this.”
Newsom Stepped In It. Gavin Newsom’s press office post about Kristi Noem triggers Secret Service threat assessment referral. pic.twitter.com/gZnQ1GtH2Q
— A Man Of Memes (@RickyDoggin) September 20, 2025
By signing a bill on Saturday, Newsom made California the first state to forbid most law enforcement personnel, including federal immigration officials, from wearing face coverings while on duty. The action followed a wave of disguised immigration officers who stormed into Los Angeles in June at the Trump administration’s request to apprehend large numbers of individuals who were supposedly suspected of being undocumented.
In recent months, masked ICE agents have faced criticism for acting like a ‘secret police,’ often detaining citizens and transporting them in unmarked vehicles without showing identification or badge numbers.
A week after the most consequential political assassination since Kennedy’s, Gavin Newsom’s office is making clear threats against Kristi Noem. There’s no reconciliation with these people. There need to be RICO charges against the democratic party. Declare Antifa an FTO. https://t.co/aidIahFl7v
— Sólionath (@Anarseldain) September 20, 2025
“The impact of these policies all across this city, our state and nation are terrifying,” Newsom said at a news conference. “It’s like a dystopian sci-fi movie. Unmarked cars, people in masks, people quite literally disappearing. No due process, no rights, no rights in a democracy where we have rights. Immigrants have rights, and we have the right to stand up and push back, and that’s what we’re doing here today.”
Additionally, Newsom signed legislation that requires schools to alert parents and teachers when immigration officials are on campus and prohibits immigration agents from entering schools and healthcare facilities without a proper warrant or court order.
During a heated July conference call, Essayli allegedly instructed a subordinate to disregard the federal government’s directive to only file cases they could win at trial. According to the Los Angeles Times, he instead gave them instructions to move forward with obtaining indictments against demonstrators as instructed by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
