In a move that may have significant political repercussions, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has reportedly secured half a million dollars for a nonprofit organization that advocates for the defunding of police and has recently initiated a bond fund for illegal immigrants in ICE custody.
This information was obtained from state records by The Washington Free Beacon.
In July 2023, Governor Newsom requested the James Irvine Foundation, a private entity that supports low-income workers in California, to donate $500,000 to the Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef). This organization is known for its stance on defunding the police.
Although the funds did not come directly from Newsom's personal finances, the James Irvine Foundation made the donation specifically at his behest, as reported by California's "behested payments" database. This database reveals whenever state elected officials solicit donations for a third party.
The Democratic governor solicited the $500,000 contribution to ImmDef to bolster its mission to "expand critical services offered to migrants crossing the U.S. border," according to the California database. These services encompass ImmDefs Detained Immigrant Bond Fund, which aids illegal immigrants in securing release from federal custody. The bond fund was launched on June 7, just a day after anti-ICE riots erupted in Los Angeles, as reported by the Free Beacon.
Newsom's decision to financially support ImmDef in 2023 could potentially backfire as he strives to distance himself from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. In March, Newsom publicly criticized the "defund the police" movement, labeling it as "lunacy" during an interview with conservative host Charlie Kirk.
Ironically, this is the same "lunacy" that Newsom indirectly funded when he solicited $500,000 for ImmDef, an organization that in June 2020 publicly pledged to "join the calls to dismantle the police state by defunding and decreasing police budgets." The group also advocated for the abolition of the immigration prison system and ICE.
Newsom's office has not responded to requests for comment on the matter.
In recent times, Newsom has been attempting to reshape his image on immigration issues. During a podcast interview on the Shawn Ryan Show last Monday, the California governor expressed regret over the sanctuary city policies that were in place in San Francisco when he became the citys mayor in 2004. He proudly stated that he wears the criticism he received from the left when he reversed those policies as a badge of honor.
Newsom has also been involved in securing contributions for other pro-illegal immigration groups. In February, he solicited $110,000 from the Stuart Foundation for Immigrant Legal Defense, a charity that provides legal services to immigrants and advocates for "abolishing immigration detention and reimagining the U.S. immigration system entirely," according to state disclosures.
Since assuming statewide office as lieutenant governor in 2011, Newsom has solicited more than $324 million in payments from a variety of nonprofits and private corporations with business interests in California. This includes $2.4 million that Newsom has solicited for his wifes charity, the California Partners Project, and another $6 million to the California Protocol Foundation, a charity that funded Newsoms trip to Super Bowl LIV in Miami in January 2020, as reported by the Free Beacon.
Newsom has been accused of using his office to favor corporations that donated to his wifes charity at his request. In April 2024, Newsom asked the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria to donate $500,000 to his wifes charity. A few months later, he sent a letter to the Biden Interior Department urging it to reject a bid from Graton Rancherias rival tribe that was seeking to open a competing $700 million casino just 15 miles away from its own gambling compound north of San Francisco.
In April 2025, Newsom solicited another $500,000 from Graton Rancheria for his wifes charity. The following month, Newsom filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in a desperate attempt to prevent the tribes rival from opening its competing casino, as reported by the Free Beacon.
The implications of these actions, particularly Newsom's support for organizations advocating for defunding the police and aiding illegal immigrants, could have far-reaching effects on his political career and the perception of the Democratic Party's stance on these contentious issues.
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