California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Attorney General Rob Bonta on Wednesday announced the launch of an online portal where the public can report on “potentially unlawful activity by federal agents and officers” in the Golden State.
The portal allows people to submit photos and video to the state’s Department of Justice. This information can then “inform possible legal actions the state may take to protect Californians’ rights,” according to a statement from Newsom’s press office.
“The Trump Administration is engaging in a campaign of terror and fear that has left some California communities scared to go about their daily lives,” Bonta said in the statement. “From unmarked military-style vehicles to detainments that more closely resemble kidnappings, Californians are rightly concerned that federal agents may be crossing the line and abusing their authority.”
Bonta added that while federal agents can enforce federal laws, “they must also do so lawfully and in compliance with the Constitution.”
Newsom echoed Bonta in the statement and noted that California officials are “not going to stand by while anyone — including federal agents — abuses their authority in California.”
“This new portal gives Californians an easy and safe way to speak up, share what they see, and help us hold people accountable,” Newsom said in the statement. “No one is above the law.”
When filing information into the portal, users are asked to give their address, email address and phone number, as well as if they are submitting the complaint on behalf of someone else and to provide the name of their lawyer if applicable.
Complaints also require checking off the nature of the incident, including “voting interference/intimidation,” “warrantless search/arrest,” “civil rights/civil liberties violation” or “excessive force.” Users are also asked to give a 2,000-character limited description of the incident, if they were injured and where the incident happened. Before submitting a complaint, users can upload any photos or video of the incident.
Newsom and Bonta advised Californians to remember that submitting information into the portal does not mean action will always be taken. Those seeking legal assistance are urged to call the California State Bar or a local legal office.
Anyone who believes they are the witness of a crime in progress is urged to call 911, as the portal “does not constitute formal reporting of a crime to a law enforcement agency, and will not result in an immediate law enforcement response,” the statement reads.
While Newsom has been a frequent critic of the Trump administration, he has increased his online presence to troll the president and to criticize President Trump’s actions since his return to the White House.
In June, Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were met with protesters. Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) both pushed back against Trump, condemning the deployment.
Newsom threatened to leave the National Governors Association unless the group agreed to condemn Trump’s deployments to California and other states. Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) both filed lawsuits over the decision to deploy soldiers.
“It should not be difficult for state leaders, regardless of partisan affiliation, to agree that politicizing our states’ National Guard and deploying the Guard from one state into another, over the objections of the home-state Governor, harms the interests of states,” Newsom wrote in a letter to the association, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.