Donald Trump has dismissed a top federal prosecutor in Sacramento, just hours after she reminded Border Patrol agents to comply with federal court rulings. Michele Beckwith, the acting US attorney, had warned officers they could not detain people without reasonable suspicion in her district. Her firing highlights growing tensions between the Trump administration and prosecutors seen as obstacles to its hardline immigration agenda.
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Sudden Termination Order
On July 15, Beckwith received a 4:31 pm email notifying her that the president had ordered her removal. The dismissal came less than six hours after she had sent an email to Border Patrol leadership, emphasizing that her office expected “compliance with court orders and the constitution.” By the afternoon, her government-issued computer and cellphone were already disabled, and her termination notice was delivered to her personal account.
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Warning to Border Patrol
The firing followed Beckwith’s conversations with Gregory Bovino, chief of the Border Patrol unit in El Centro, 600 miles south of Sacramento. Bovino had asked who to contact if his officers were assaulted during a planned immigration raid. Beckwith responded that agents could not indiscriminately stop or detain people in her jurisdiction due to a federal court order issued in April. That order specifically barred immigration sweeps without reasonable suspicion north of Bakersfield.
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Disputed Immigration Raid
Despite her warnings, Bovino went ahead with the operation two days later, conducting a raid at a Sacramento Home Depot. In a video recorded at the California state capitol, he declared, “Folks, there is no such thing as a sanctuary city.” He further argued in a statement that Beckwith’s email suggested a “bias against law enforcement” and insisted, “The Supreme Court’s decision is evidence of the fact Border Patrol follows the Constitution and the Fourth Amendment.”
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Supreme Court Intervention
The constitutional dispute comes after the U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned a ruling from Los Angeles that had restricted immigration raids. On September 8, the court allowed federal agents to stop people based solely on their race, language, or occupation. The earlier Sacramento court order protecting residents from random detentions was thus undermined, but Beckwith had stressed its continued authority in her district at the time of her dismissal.
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Broader Pattern of Firings
Beckwith’s removal is part of a wider pattern of prosecutors being sidelined or pressured to resign. Just last week, US Attorney Erik Siebert stepped down under mounting pressure. He was swiftly replaced by Trump’s special assistant, Lindsey Halligan, following a directive from Attorney General Pam Bondi. Siebert had been overseeing sensitive investigations into New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
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Beckwith’s Response
Michele Beckwith has since appealed her termination, telling the New York Times she acted in defense of the law. “I’m an American who cares about her country,” she said. “We have to stand up and insist that the laws be followed.” Her dismissal underscores the mounting clash between Trump’s enforcement agenda and officials who attempt to hold immigration authorities to court standards.