Newsom Threatens To Arrest Federal Agents at Polling Stations: ‘We Will Track You Down’

California Governor Gavin Newsom threatened to arrest and prosecute federal agents who turn up “illegally” at polling stations on Election Day.

The governor issued his warning Tuesday in a direct response to an ICE post on X threatening to pursue anyone who casts a ballot illegally, copying the agency’s language almost word for word.

“If YOU show up to the polls illegally, we will find you. We will track you down, arrest you, and prosecute you. There will be no escape,” Newsom wrote on X.

His post came shortly after ICE published its own warning to voters:

“If you vote illegally, we will find you. We will track you down, arrest you, and prosecute you. There will be no escape,” the agency declared.

Later, Newsom followed with a further vow addressed “TO DONALD TRUMP’S THUGS”:

The exchange comes after Newsom has spent months sharing his fear of potential interference by President Donald Trump’s administration in the midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress. The governor repeatedly accused Trump of seeking to interfere in the midterms, warning in July that the president wanted to “rig the election in 2026.”

The Department of Homeland Security has said ICE is not planning operations targeting polling locations, while federal law restricts the presence of armed agents at election sites.

The Justice Department, meanwhile, separately deployed approximately 1,000 election monitors across more than 120 jurisdictions nationwide. A federal judge ruled Monday that personnel drawn from law enforcement agencies must remain unarmed, out of uniform and without arrest powers.

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