Progressive billionaire Tom Steyer said at the third California gubernatorial debate that, if elected, he would seek to prosecute individual Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and potentially pursue cases further up the chain of command, including White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, if they were found to have broken California state law.
UNHINGED: Tom Steyer flat‑out calls ICE “a criminal operation” and says California should prosecute agents and their bosses “right up to Stephen Miller.”
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) May 6, 2026
Steyer: “The governor of California should hold people accountable who break the laws of California, specifically including… pic.twitter.com/x2NMMNtjCw
"You want California's Attorney General to be able to hold both ICE agents and their leadership criminally liable for what you say is, quote, violent, illegal conduct on the job," CNN's Kaitlan Collins said. "Does that include the former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversaw the ICE operations in Los Angeles last year?"
"Look, the governor of California should hold people accountable who break the laws of California, specifically including ICE agents and the people who send them to racially profile, which is illegal, and use violence against Californians, which is illegal. And it should go up the chain to the supervisors, right up to Stephen Miller," Steyer said. "If he's sending people to racially profile and hurt Californians or kill Californians, he should be held liable. It is not legal for federal agents to come to California and break the law. It is absolutely critical that California's governor does stand up for everyone in California."
"In fact, ICE to me is a criminal operation," he continued. "I've said all along, we should abolish ICE. It's breaking the law. It is coming here deliberately to break the law. And that's why I'm saying we should hold them accountable. We should inspect the detention centers that they have in secret. I would go all the way up the chain. I've gone as far as Stephen Miller. Stephen Miller should be held accountable for what the ICE agents do in California that he sends."
The progressive billionaire added, when asked, that his position would include prosecuting former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem if she were found to have broken the law.
Republican candidate and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco blasted Steyer's account of immigration enforcement in the Golden State.
"Sheriff Bianco, what's your response to that?" Collins asked.
"No one has broken the law in California," Bianco said. "And this is why we fight in the streets and people are out rioting, burning down Los Angeles, because politicians like this sit and lie to everyone. They get them all infuriated up with emotion because they don't want to tell the truth. ICE agents are enforcing the law."
"Democrats forced ICE into our cities and streets and neighborhoods to find these criminals. And I want Mr. Villaraigosa to tell the mother of the 14-year-old in my county that is dead because of an illegal immigrant that had been deported three times because of DUIs, that sanctuary state policy keeps us safe. I don't think she's going to agree with you. And the mother of my dispatcher that was killed is not going to agree with you."