SANTA ANA – A confrontation between an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and a woman recording him escalated Sunday, Nov. 9, when the agent allegedly pointed a gun at her, prompting a response from Fullerton police, according to The Daily Breeze.
In a statement released by the Fullerton Police Department, an officer returning to the city after transporting an incarcerated person to Orange County stopped after witnessing a man pointing his firearm at the driver of a vehicle behind him. According to The Daily Breeze, “The officer did not know the identity of the man with the firearm when he pulled over, but the man identified himself as an ICE officer.”
The ICE agent told the officer that “the woman in the vehicle behind him had been following and recording him,” according to the Fullerton Police statement. The officer responded that he could not assist the ICE agent “if no crime had taken place,” The Daily Breeze reported.
The department clarified that the Fullerton Police Department would assist ICE agents with “situations involving immediate officer safety,” as they would for any other law enforcement agency, “but has not and will not assist with immigration enforcement activities.” The department added that “doing so is prohibited for local law enforcement in California under Senate Bill 54.”
Much backlash came from ICE spokespersons, including Tricia McLaughlin, who said, “A Fullerton police officer arrived at the scene but declined to help our law enforcement, stating it was an immigration matter. This is just another example of sanctuary policies undermining public safety by promoting lawlessness.” Police again reiterated that officers cannot assist ICE agents “if no crime is committed,” according to The Daily Breeze.
Santa Ana police were also called to the scene but arrived after the driver, the Fullerton officer, and the agent had left.
The incident has heightened tensions between local and federal authorities, raising questions about the limits of cooperation under California’s sanctuary laws and reigniting debate over how far local police should go in assisting federal immigration enforcement.
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