As the federal government carries out aggressive immigration raids in major cities across the U.S., state officials are facing off with the federal government over a centuries-old question: When can states prosecute federal officials for violating state criminal law?
A statement from former speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Rep. Kevin Mullin on Oct. 23 asserted that “state and local authorities may arrest federal agents if they break California law—and if they are convicted, the President cannot pardon them.” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has formed a commission to address “unlawful attacks” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. New York’s attorney general recently set up a portal for the public to share footage of ICE interactions, stating that the office is “committed to reviewing these reports and assessing any violations of law.” And local officials in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Boston have stated that they will pursue legal action if federal officers break the law.
They’re not “federal officials”, they’re just people in the state. State laws apply to people in the state. 🤷
They’re federal agents carrying out federal duties in the state, which in some cases makes them exempt from state laws. The article points to the supremacy clause, which is why there’s a debate about state’s rights to charge federal agents. But no, this doesn’t seem to apply to ICE.
Masked group committing local crimes? Pick em up every time. Sort it out at the jail. Maybe it turns out they get to go once the paperwork is done hours later.
Chilling effects can work both ways; it would be nice to see them doing good for once.
Oh I wish. Too bad cops are pieces of shit, too.
Sadly true