California Congressman and would-be governor Eric Swalwell is taking his anti-ICE crusade to a new level — and the irony is almost too perfect. During a candidates forum Saturday, Swalwell vowed to revoke the driver’s licenses of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, even though California already grants licenses to illegal immigrants.
“They’re going to lose their immunity, they’re not gonna be able to drive. I will take your driver’s license. Good luck walking to work, a–holes,” Swalwell said at the Empowerment Congress California Governor Forum. Nothing says “serious leadership” quite like threatening federal officers with a long walk to work.
Swalwell’s proposal would create a bizarre legal reality in California: illegal immigrants would remain legally allowed to drive, while federal law enforcement officers tasked with enforcing immigration law would not. For context, former Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation in 2013 allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, with the law taking effect in 2015. Priorities, apparently, are very clear.
“There’s only one side of the ball to be on, on behalf of Californians when it comes to ICE, and it’s offense,” Swalwell declared at the forum, which was also attended by other gubernatorial hopefuls, including Rep. Katie Porter. “Offense,” in this case, appears to mean targeting the people enforcing federal law rather than those breaking it.
Swalwell didn’t stop there. He said he would direct local law enforcement to use “every power” available to prosecute ICE officers, specifically mentioning charges such as battery, false imprisonment, and murder. It’s an extraordinary claim — and one that signals open hostility toward federal agents doing their jobs.
These remarks come as immigration activists across the country have ramped up efforts to sabotage and confront ICE operations since President Donald Trump returned to office and enforcement intensified. Nationwide protests erupted following the shooting of a woman in Minneapolis who drove her SUV at an ICE agent — an incident that continues to fuel activist outrage.
Just two days after the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis, Swalwell introduced federal legislation alongside Rep. Dan Goldman of New York to strip ICE officers of qualified immunity, known as the ICE OUT Act. According to reports, the ICE agent involved in the Minneapolis incident is unlikely to face prosecution.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer. While President Trump continues to back law enforcement and push for the enforcement of immigration laws, Democrats like Swalwell are openly threatening federal officers — all while maintaining policies that favor illegal immigrants over those sworn to protect the public.
The silver lining? Statements like these make the stakes unmistakable. As voters watch who is being protected and who is being targeted, support for strong borders, law enforcement, and common sense leadership only grows stronger.
