In a meeting with community media, Tom Steyer, the billionaire Democratic candidate for governor of California, confirmed his plans to prosecute Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who engage in racial profiling and acts of violence.

He reiterated his commitment to creating a legal fund for immigrants facing deportation.

In a meeting organized by American Community Media, Steyer defined himself as the only candidate who promotes change in favor of workers.

"I advocate for shared prosperity. We have the highest poverty rate in all of the United States of America. Our educational systems must improve substantially. We must guarantee access to health care as a fundamental right," he said.

He added: "We must make the state a place where people can once again hope to buy a home and where rents are affordable. That is precisely why I am running for governor."

Steyer is an entrepreneur, environmentalist and founder of the climate action organization, NextGen America, and previously campaigned for president of the United States.

"This is a simple election. The corporations don't want anything to change. They oppose me very vehemently; the working class, on the other hand, supports me very firmly."

Below are some excerpts from the interview with candidate Steyer.

If you were elected governor, what specifically would you do differently or more aggressively to protect California immigrants?

I will prosecute ICE agents for racially profiling Californians, including Stephen Miller, to hold accountable those who send them to commit violence against Californians.

We should have a well-funded legal defense fund by the state to assist people who have been kidnapped or are under threat of deportation.

In my opinion, I present the most forceful policy against ICE of all the candidates in this race. The mission of the governor of California is to stand as a protective shield between violence, terror, racial discrimination and the people of California.

Would you support immigrant advocates in closing ICE detention centers?

I want to push hard to inspect them and make sure they are not breaking the law.

If they are going to arrest Californians, and instead of doing it in California, they do it in Arizona, I don't think that represents a victory.

How would you solve California's health care worker shortage in rural areas?

Single-payer systems around the world cost about half as much as our system and deliver health outcomes that are at least as good as ours.

When asked how long it will take, I reply that it will start from day one; and this is the reason why the nurses give me their support.

Resolving all the details of this initiative will be a very complex task; We need to get a waiver from the federal government, which means we need a different administration in Washington, D.C.

You have reportedly spent $192 million of your own fortune on your campaign. How do you respond to criticism from those who say that, having never held political office, you are trying to buy your way to becoming governor of California?

I'm far from the only billionaire in this race. The billionaires and large corporations of this state are absolutely in this race and are contributing millions of dollars, either to support other candidates or, specifically, to oppose me.

There is a $50 million campaign to prevent me from becoming governor; That figure is a record in any California election campaign.

Although this may be surprising, the truth is that career politicians are not willing to change the system. I am someone who has achieved results throughout my life, including in government, as a private citizen, and as governor, I will be able to continue to do so on a larger scale and in a much better way.

You have had several biotechnology companies and the big pharmaceutical industry. Are you going to confront the big pharmaceutical industry to question the price of medicines and reduce them?

We need to reduce the cost of health care so we can guarantee it as a right to every Californian; and that means taking on the pharmaceutical companies and fighting them on pricing.

I know this system in depth, I know how they blatantly manipulate and use it for their own benefit.

My only interest here is the Californian workers. I play for Team California and I want it to always win; I will be a fierce fighter in defense of all of us.

How do you defend your investments in private prisons and the fossil fuel industry, which date back to the beginning of your career?

21 years ago, after declaring it a mistake, we withdrew from this sector and will never do so again. I have worked hard to help California move from a time of mass and racist incarceration to the concept of rehabilitative justice.

And let me add this: The largest and most powerful organization in California in the field of rehabilitative justice is called Smart Justice, and they endorsed me for governor.

What strategies do you plan to implement to support and empower small and micro businesses in the state of California?

I want to make sure that we don't over-regulate them, and that the fees we charge are not onerous, because clearly their existence is absolutely critical to California's growth, jobs, and communities.

How would you push for aggressive climate action while ensuring working families don't bear the cost of the transition?

My environmental policy consists of three points: first, the polluter pays; Second, given that there has been structural racism in our society that has directed pollution disproportionately toward African American and Latino communities, we must place environmental justice at the center of all environmental policy.

Likewise, we need people from those communities to take a leadership role in designing these policies to ensure that this situation comes to an end. Third, we must implement the use of clean energy, since it is much more economical.

Regarding electricity, I propose reducing rates by 25% confronting the electricity monopolies; This implies regulating them differently through the Public Service Commission, but also promoting competition at the local level in order to achieve lower prices and make people pay less for their electricity. We currently pay double the national average, and that is unacceptable.

My proposal is to establish a tax on the oil companies that rip us off at the gas pumps, and return it directly to the Californians who are suffering the consequences of rising prices at the gas pump.

The latest poll by the California Democratic Party, conducted in mid-May, gives Tom Steyer third place in preferences with 15% support from likely voters. In first place is the Republican Steve Hilton with 22%, and the Democrat Xavier Becerra with 21%. The two candidates with the highest number of votes will face each other in the general election for governor in November.