ICE raids reported across Southern California
LOS ANGELES - A week into President Donald Trump’s second term and his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, federal officers are operating with a new sense of mission, knowing that "nobody gets a free pass anymore."
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents began targeting major sanctuary cities immediately after Trump's inauguration Monday, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta. The following day, Trump lifted longtime guidelines that restricted ICE from operating at "sensitive locations" such as schools, churches or hospitals.
SUGGESTED:
- DEA in Los Angeles helping feds with immigration enforcement efforts
- California schools preparing students for ICE agents amid Trump's executive order
- ICE can raid schools, churches under new Trump administration order
ICE’s daily arrests, which averaged 311 in the year ending Sept. 30, stayed fairly steady in the first days after Trump took office, then spiked dramatically Sunday to 956 and Monday to 1,179. If sustained, those numbers would mark the highest daily average since ICE began keeping records.
The decision has worried many migrants and advocates who fear children will be traumatized by seeing their parents arrested in the drop-off line at school or that migrants needing medical care won’t go to the hospital for fear of arrest.
Here are some of the known ICE operations and arrests as of Wednesday, Jan. 29:
Los Angeles
Over the weekend, the DEA in LA said it's cooperating with federal law enforcement partners on immigration enforcement.
Matthew Allen, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA's LA field division, wrote on social media the agency is assisting the Department of Homeland Security, sharing pictures of uniformed law enforcement agents in an undisclosed LA neighborhood.
ICE officers from ERO Los Angeles posted several photos on social media showing the arrests made.
One of the suspects was noted as "an unlawfully present Mexican national who is also a gang member with convictions for domestic violence," and another a "foreign fugitive wanted by authorities in El Salvador for homicide" and other charges. All three "noncitizens" are in ICE custody pending removal to their respective home countries.
Another man arrested was described by ICE as "an unlawfully present Colombian citizen convicted of extortion, kidnapping, trafficking," and other charges.
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Riverside
The Pomona Economic Opportunity Center posted a confirmed sighting of ICE officers and anti-immigrant supporters at a Home Depot in Riverside, calling on the community for volunteers to go on "ICE Watch."
San Diego
The DEA’s San Diego office also confirmed over the weekend it is cooperating with federal law enforcement partners on immigration enforcement. Several photos showed arrests being made in undisclosed locations.
Near Point Loma, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted 21 migrants on a panga boat 20 miles offshore, officials said on social media. "All aboard were safely transported to U.S. Border Patrol," the Coast Guard said.
The Source: Information for this story is from the DEA, ICE, and Coast Guard social media. The Associated Press contributed.