Fossil Fuel Billionaire Tom Steyer Declares War on ICE: ‘Abolish It, Jail Its Agents’

Billionaire climate activist and Democratic gubernatorial contender Tom Steyer escalated his long-standing anti-ICE rhetoric Tuesday, announcing a sweeping five-point plan to abolish the federal immigration enforcement agency and prosecute its agents and leadership in California courts.

In a lengthy X post, Steyer branded ICE a “criminal organization” that relies on “racial profiling,” “violence, intimidation, terrorism, and the murder of Americans” to enforce “Trump’s rule by fear.” He vowed that, as governor, California would “fight fire with fire” by treating ICE like the mob and jailing its agents and supervisors.

Steyer’s plan includes:  

• Legislation banning any law enforcement profiling based on race, ethnicity, language, occupation, or location;  
• Granting the state Attorney General authority to pursue “supervisory liability” and imprison ICE leadership;  
• Creating a special investigative unit to target ICE operations and detention facilities;  
• Expanding taxpayer-funded legal defense for those detained by ICE; and  
• Launching a statewide “Know Your Rights” campaign to advise residents — regardless of immigration status — on how to resist ICE encounters.

Read Steyer’s latest diatribe below:

https://t.co/bUcFaPgkZJ

— Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) April 14, 2026

The announcement marks the latest escalation in Steyer’s repeated calls to dismantle ICE. He has previously declared the agency irredeemable, stating “ICE should be abolished” because “you can’t reform a criminal organization.”

The irony is not lost on California taxpayers. Steyer built his multi-billion-dollar fortune as founder of Farallon Capital Management, a hedge fund that poured investments into fossil fuels — including coal mines in Australia and Indonesia and tar-sands oil projects notorious for environmental destruction. As the California Globe has previously reported, he managed the fund until 2012 before pivoting to climate activism.

Steyer’s latest move comes amid a chaotic 2026 gubernatorial race. California Globe reporting has tracked his surge in the polls following Rep. Eric Swalwell’s withdrawal and his separate push to “blow up” Proposition 13.

Critics immediately condemned the proposal as unconstitutional. Federal immigration law preempts state interference under the Supremacy Clause, and courts have repeatedly upheld ICE’s authority.

Steyer is whacky radical.

Anyone who supports this should be widely mocked.

This is total anarchy. It’s an all out rebellion and an end to law and order.

And @RoKhanna should be the first one held to account for supporting this guy. https://t.co/6OS83yuDyJ

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) April 15, 2026

Steyer’s plan would transform California into a full-scale sanctuary state on steroids, using taxpayer dollars to obstruct federal enforcement while residents shoulder the costs of illegal immigration — including crime, overcrowded services, and housing shortages.

Steyer’s record of open-borders activism is familiar to California Globe readers. From his failed 2020 presidential bid — once described by this outlet as potentially “the worst in presidential history” — to his repeated attacks on immigration enforcement, the billionaire has consistently used his wealth to advance progressive causes while shielding himself from their consequences.

As the 2026 primary approaches, Steyer’s pledge to “put ICE agents and their leadership in jail” sharpens the choice for California voters: enforce the law, or empower another round of elite-driven radicalism from a candidate who would declare open war on federal border enforcement.