Green Party gubernatorial candidate Dr. Butch Ware issued a strong condemnation today in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement that he would veto AB 15 if it passed the California legislature. Reaffirming his support for the bill, Ware said:

Butch Ware for Governor
butchware4gov.com

For Immediate Release
February 18, 2025

Contact:
Juwairia Abbas, Press Secretary, [email protected]
Jason Call, Campaign Manager, [email protected]

“Gavin Newsom seems to be going out of his way to be compliant and complicit with the Trump administration’s plans to shred the US constitution and run roughshod over civil liberties.

It’s a disgrace.

ICE has a 20 year history of racial profiling and unaccountability for violations of constitutional rights, including the rights of those who seek refuge in California from economic, ecological and political crises in their countries of origin. Many of these crises are the direct result of American foreign policy and corporate greed.”

THE IMPACT OF CDCR AND ICE COLLABORATION ON CALIFORNIA COMMUNITIES

Dr Ware further argues that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (“CDCR”) collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) not only disrupts immigrant communities but also deepens distrust between law enforcement and the people of California, making communities less safe and more vulnerable to systemic injustice.

Despite immense growing pushback and legislative efforts, such as Assembly Bill 15, Governor Newsom has made it clear that he will veto any bill that would limit the CDCR’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Since 2019, this policy has led to the transfer of over 10,500 inmates from CDCR into ICE custody - a practice that is an attack on immigrant rights and due process.

A COMMITMENT TO ENDING CALIFORNIA’S COOPERATION WITH ICE

Ware is launching his campaign for governor with a firm commitment to ending California’s cooperation with ICE and implementing policies that protect immigrant communities from what he calls “authoritarian” federal overreach.

His vision is clear:

✅ a California government that serves and protects all its residents, not just the privileged few.

✅ an end to CDCR’s transfers of individuals into ICE custody.

✅ Policies that promote safety, inclusion, and justice for immigrant communities.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

The Green Party of California invites all residents who share this vision to join Butch Ware’s campaign. Together, we can build a socially just, ecologically sustainable, and truly democratic California.

Photo: Immigration and Customs Enforcement