Federal investigators are turning up the pressure on two of California’s largest sanctuary jurisdictions as the House Judiciary Committee launches a sweeping inquiry into local policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
On Tuesday, committee leaders sent four letters to law enforcement agencies in San Francisco and San Diego demanding records, communications, and policy documents related to interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The move marks the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s broader effort to challenge sanctuary city policies nationwide.
San Francisco appears to be receiving the most intense scrutiny.
In a letter to San Francisco Police Chief Derrick Lew, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Rep. Tom McClintock accused city officials of failing to notify ICE about detainers involving non-citizens accused of crimes. The lawmakers requested records dating back to the beginning of 2024.
“In practice, San Francisco’s pro-illegal alien policies ensure dangerous criminals are released from SFPD’s custody — or never apprehended by SFPD at all — and are free to reoffend,” the lawmakers wrote.
A separate letter directed to San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto was even more critical. The committee cited previous remarks from Miyamoto indicating that his office had honored only one ICE detention request out of thousands received.
Lawmakers argued that such policies jeopardize public safety and pointed to several examples they believe demonstrate the consequences of limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Among those examples was the case of David DePape, the Canadian national convicted in the 2022 hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The committee alleged that federal officials encountered obstacles when attempting to interview DePape after the attack.
“Despite your claim that California’s and San Francisco’s pro-illegal alien laws ‘were created to uphold justice, not to shield those who threaten public safety,’ sanctuary policies endanger the communities you serve,” the lawmakers wrote.
The committee is seeking records related to ICE detainer requests, interactions with federal immigration authorities, policies involving non-citizens, and communications dating back to 2020. Investigators also requested immigration-related correspondence involving the office of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.
City officials pushed back against the criticism.
Jen Kwart, a spokesperson for City Attorney David Chiu, said San Francisco is reviewing the inquiry and plans to respond.
“San Francisco is one of the safest cities in the nation, and our longstanding policies build trust with law enforcement and improve public safety,” Kwart said. “San Francisco’s policies have repeatedly been upheld in the courts.”
The committee’s investigation extends beyond the Bay Area.
Letters were also sent to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl and San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez. Rep. Darrell Issa joined Jordan and McClintock in signing those requests.
Lawmakers questioned San Diego policies that prohibit officers from participating in immigration enforcement activities and highlighted a city ordinance requiring federal immigration agents to obtain judicial warrants before accessing non-public city property.
The committee also pointed to several cases cited by ICE, including the death of 11-year-old Aiden Antonio Torres De Paz, who was killed in 2025 after being struck by a vehicle allegedly driven by a Mexican national whom immigration officials said had previously been removed from the United States. Lawmakers wrote that an ICE detainer request connected to the case was rejected.
Additional examples cited by the committee involved suspects arrested on charges including child cruelty, aggravated assault, and domestic violence offenses whose detainer requests were also reportedly declined.
According to the lawmakers, California agencies refused thousands of ICE detainers in a recent one-year period, resulting in the release of more than 4,500 individuals accused or convicted of various crimes.
The California investigations are part of a broader national campaign targeting sanctuary jurisdictions. Similar document requests have recently been sent to officials in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Colorado, and Arlington County, Virginia.
Federal lawmakers are demanding detailed records concerning ICE cooperation, immigration-related policies, detainer requests, and communications between local officials and law enforcement agencies. The departments have been given until June 16 to respond.
The outcome of the inquiries could further intensify the long-running battle between federal immigration authorities and local governments that have embraced sanctuary policies, a conflict that remains one of the most contentious issues of President Trump’s second term.
