‘No such thing as a sanctuary city,’ Border Patrol chief says of Sacramento raid
U.S. Border Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino on Thursday dismissed sanctuary laws that have sought to protect immigrants from federal enforcement efforts in California.
After a raid at a south Sacramento Home Depot, Bovino celebrated the operation that resulted in 12 arrests in a post on X.
“No such thing as a sanctuary city, no such thing as a sanctuary state,” he wrote, and reiterated in a video on the steps of the California Capitol. “Operations are underway in the #Sacramento area to interdict illegal activity and safeguard our nation.”
Sacramento has been a self-designated sanctuary city since 1985, according to a January press release.
“Sacramento police officers are prohibited from asking for immigration status or assisting in immigration enforcement,” Mayor Pro Tem Eric Guerra said in the release.
In 2017, Gov. Jerry Brown approved SB 54, the California Values Act, which became the state’s sanctuary law and prohibits state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. But neither state law nor city ordinance can prohibit federal agencies from operating within California.
Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesperson for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed that deputies did not assist Border Patrol in any way during Thursday’s raid at the Home Depot located at 4641 Florin Road.
The Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from employees just after 8 a.m., Gandhi said. The employees reported seeing masked people in the parking lot. Soon after that, Gandhi said the Sheriff’s office received word from federal officials who confirmed Border Patrol agents were in the area, but had already left.
“Whether it’s here in Sacramento or nationwide,” Bovino said in the video. “We’re here and we’re not going anywhere.”
This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 3:24 PM with the headline "‘No such thing as a sanctuary city,’ Border Patrol chief says of Sacramento raid."
