California Chief Justice condemns immigration enforcement at courthouses

California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero on Thursday blasted federal immigration enforcement actions conducted at courthouses across the state, warning that such operations risk deterring public participation in the legal system.

"I am deeply concerned about reports of multiple federal immigration enforcement actions at California courthouses and their potential chilling effect -- as I would be regarding any barrier to access to the courts," Guerrero said in a statement.

Her comments come amid growing reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents appearing at county courthouses in recent days, a practice long opposed by state judges as well as advocates for immigrants.

The statement signals a potential escalation in tensions between California's judicial branch and federal authorities over immigration enforcement priorities.

In January, shortly before President Donald Trump took office, Guerrero said she would not "pick a fight" with him. But on Jan. 22, the Trump administration revoked a 2011 directive banning immigration raids in courthouses and other "sensitive areas."

In March, during her State of the Judiciary address, Guerrero told lawmakers that the policy change has caused "considerable stress, anxiety and confusion surrounding the issue of immigration policies and enforcement as they relate to our courts."

"The federal government, of course, has the right and obligation to do its job," she told state lawmakers at the time. "But it cannot, consistent with the 10th Amendment, compel states to enforce federal immigration law."

While Guerrero has previously expressed concern about federal immigration enforcement, her statement Thursday -- as the first Latina to hold the post and an appointee of Gov. Gavin Newsom -- signaled a heightened sense of alarm.

"California's courts are, and must continue to be, open and accessible to all," Guerrero said. "Making courthouses a focus of immigration enforcement hinders, rather than helps, the administration of justice by deterring witnesses and victims from coming forward and discouraging individuals from asserting their rights."

While the chief justice did not specify which courthouses had been targeted, she confirmed that the Judicial Council is gathering information on "recent events" and pledged to "continue to monitor this situation and work to ensure that courts are able to fulfill their essential role in the lives of all Californians."