As the featured guest for the Sacramento Speakers Series on January 28, former Vice President Mike Pence discussed a wide range of national and global issues in front of an audience of more than 2,000 people.
Before that main event, he had a brief window to sit down with California Politics 360 reporter and event moderator Edie Lambert to talk about issues specific to California.
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This month in California, watchdog groups are seeing immigration raids continuing in the state, and they’re training people to protest and document those raids. With the shooting of Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti by federal officers just days earlier, Pence was asked whether he felt Californians should be concerned. He replied that Americans should expect federal, state and local officials to enforce immigration laws, especially working to deport undocumented immigrants who pose a danger and commit crimes.
Pence also believes the shootings of Pretti and Renee Good should be thoroughly investigated. That issue has become a source of conflict between federal authorities and Minnesota state leaders, as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says they were physically prevented from accessing the Pretti shooting scene by Department of Homeland Security personnel, even after obtaining a signed judicial search warrant. The Justice Department has now opened a civil rights investigation into the Pretti shooting, but has so far declined to open a similar probe into the Good case.
Pence said while the shootings are tragic, they don’t diminish the need for enforcement.
“I think it’s important that we respect the right of peaceful assembly, that we respect the freedom of speech rights of people that may object to certain policies,” explained Pence. “But at the end of the day, I think it’s important that we see officials on both sides of the aisle, in both parties, at every level, to make sure our streets are safe and the law is enforced.”
As the California Senate just approved a first-in-the-nation law that would make it easier for people to sue federal officers for constitutional violations, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Pence took a nuanced position. He said it feels personal, as he has family members in law enforcement, and he knows it’s a tough job. He believes that federal officers should be held accountable for wrongdoing and that all police shootings should be fully investigated.
However, as California’s Senate Bill 747 now moves to the State Assembly, he has concerns about the potential impacts on all federal law enforcement agencies and warns that it could erode public safety.
“The immunity that exists for officers who are doing their duty is a very important part of both recruitment and retention, and I think it needs to be preserved,” said Pence. “I would caution against any erosion of that immunity.”
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