Gov. Gavin Newsom has hired Michele Beckwith, the former acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California who ran the prosecutors’ office covering the Central Valley, as a deputy legal affairs secretary in his administration. Beckwith was abruptly dismissed this summer after a clash with Border Patrol that has since become a flashpoint in the state’s feud with federal immigration enforcement.
Newsom’s office says Beckwith will provide legal counsel to the governor and state agencies. A spokesperson framed the hire as a win for the state and noted her more than two decades of prosecutorial experience, according to the San Francisco Examiner.
The firing that made headlines
Beckwith says she was removed on July 15 after she emailed Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino to remind him that a federal court injunction limits detentions without reasonable suspicion in parts of the district; less than six hours later she says her work phone and computer were disabled and she received notice of termination. Documents and interviews that outlined that timeline were reported by GV Wire.
Raids in Sacramento and the court order
Two days after Beckwith’s removal, agents led by Bovino conducted a raid at a Home Depot parking lot in Sacramento, an operation that local reporters say prompted renewed criticism of the agency’s tactics. The ACLU and United Farm Workers had previously sued and won an injunction that constrained indiscriminate stops in the Eastern District, a detail covered by local reporting, as per Davis Vanguard.
Why Newsom brought her in
Newsom publicly defended Beckwith after her firing and his office said her role will include defending the state’s interests and the Constitution; Beckwith told reporters that her work now centers on protecting democracy. She began in the position last week and both sides framed the hire as part of California’s legal response to federal enforcement moves, as noted by GV Wire.
What to watch
Beckwith has appealed her firing and her move to Newsom’s office is likely to shape the state’s legal strategy as courts and political leaders continue to test the boundaries of federal immigration operations in California. Expect filings and public statements to follow as state lawyers and federal agents push on the same legal fault lines, legal analysts say, as stated by The Guardian.
