Recent data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement reveals that federal agents have continued their immigration sweeps in Southern California, largely targeting individuals without criminal convictions.
From June 1 to June 26, a total of 2,031 arrests were made across a seven-county region, with approximately 68% of those detained having no prior criminal record.
Furthermore, about 57% of those arrested had never been charged with a crime.
The data indicates that nearly half of the detainees were Mexican nationals, and the majority were men with a median age of 39.
In a separate survey conducted by the Mexican Consulate, which involved 330 Mexicans in local detention centers between June 6 and July 6, it was found that half of those surveyed had lived in the United States for at least a decade.
More than a third had resided in the country for over 20 years, and nearly one-third reported having American-born children.
These findings illuminate the demographics of those caught in the government’s ongoing immigration enforcement efforts.
The data was made available through the Deportation Data Project, a collaborative effort by lawyers and academics who obtained it via a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
This data supports previously reported trends indicating that immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles have predominantly apprehended individuals lacking criminal backgrounds.
Diana Crofts-Pelayo, spokesperson for Governor Gavin Newsom, criticized the aggressive tactics used by the Trump administration, stating, “[President] Trump and Stephen Miller don’t care about removing the ‘worst first’ — they only care about arresting whoever they can to complete their massive arrest quotas.”
She added that these actions were causing widespread fear within the community, targeting children and families, and undermining individual rights.
The federal operations have intensified in Los Angeles, a stronghold for Democrats, as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation initiative.
Following the launch of these sweeps on June 6, protests and public outcry erupted, leading President Donald Trump to deploy the National Guard and the Marines to the area.
Legal obstacles have hindered the immigration enforcement plans; on a recent Friday, U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, who was appointed by President Biden, temporarily restrained federal agents from using racial profiling in immigration arrests across much of Southern California.
This ruling has effectively halted the indiscriminate raids at locations such as Home Depots and car washes that had become commonplace.
The Justice Department is challenging this order, seeking a pause on the ruling as federal authorities continue their operations.
Gregory Bovino, U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief, who is stationed in Imperial County near the U.S.-Mexico border, reiterated that the agency remains focused on arrests, stating, “Still hard at work catching criminal illegal aliens in #LosAngeles. We’re not leaving until our mission is accomplished.”
Bovino has publicly disputed claims that only noncriminals are being apprehended, highlighting cases of individuals with outstanding warrants from their home countries.
As tensions from the raids have begun to subside, President Donald Trump made the decision to withdraw about half of the National Guard troops that had been deployed in Los Angeles.
On a national scale, the average daily arrest rate for the first half of June started at 1,139 and dropped to 990 later in the month.
In total, approximately 27,500 individuals were arrested throughout a four-week period, although the data does not clarify how many of those have been deported.
The captured immigrants in Southern California appear to be less likely to have criminal records compared to those arrested by local or state authorities and then turned over to ICE.
image source from：latimes
