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STATEMENT

ICE acting director sent letter to California AG urging honor of ICE detainers

True

Evidence from credible sources supports the statement as accurate. Learn more in Methodology.

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DHS/ICE published and delivered the Feb 4, 2026 letter from ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons to California Attorney General Rob Bonta calling on California to honor ICE arrest detainers.

Source summary
On Feb. 6, 2026 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) published a press release and a letter from Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons urging California officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, to honor ICE arrest detainers for 33,179 noncitizens currently in California custody. DHS says 4,561 people with active detainers were released since Jan. 20 and provided aggregated counts of alleged offenses (including homicides, assaults, drug and weapons offenses) and named case examples. The letter cites legal precedent on administrative warrants and requests greater cooperation to enable federal removal actions.
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Latest fact check

Official DHS and ICE press releases and the full letter (dated Feb. 4, 2026) show that ICE’s senior official performing the duties of director, Todd M. Lyons, sent a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta asking California to honor ICE arrest detainers. The releases state the agency is seeking honor for “more than 33,000” criminal noncitizens and give a specific figure of 33,179 individuals in California custody with active detainers. Verdict — True: the claim is supported by primary sources (DHS/ICE press releases and the letter) that confirm Lyons sent the letter and requested honoring ICE detainers for the stated number of noncitizens.

Sources

Timeline

  1. Update · Feb 07, 2026, 02:05 AMTrue
    Official DHS and ICE press releases and the full letter (dated Feb. 4, 2026) show that ICE’s senior official performing the duties of director, Todd M. Lyons, sent a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta asking California to honor ICE arrest detainers. The releases state the agency is seeking honor for “more than 33,000” criminal noncitizens and give a specific figure of 33,179 individuals in California custody with active detainers. Verdict — True: the claim is supported by primary sources (DHS/ICE press releases and the letter) that confirm Lyons sent the letter and requested honoring ICE detainers for the stated number of noncitizens.
  2. Original article · Feb 06, 2026
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