U.S. immigration officials initiated a new round of enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area on Sunday, according to sources familiar with the operation.
This effort in Southern California follows recent enforcement actions ordered by the Trump administration to apprehend individuals living unlawfully in cities such as Chicago and New York.
Community activists posted video on social media showing federal agents outside a residence east of downtown Los Angeles. In the video, activists are seen using megaphones to warn residents inside the home.
“There’s presence of ICE here, so don’t open your door. They are not allowed to enter unless they have a judicial warrant signed by a judge,” one activist is heard saying in the footage.
The video captures the scene for about 20 minutes before the apparent federal agents’ vehicles leave the area.
It remains unclear how many people were detained during Sunday’s operations. CNN has reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for comment. A member of the Community Self Defense Coalition, a group of about 150 activists patrolling the Los Angeles area, confirmed the operation’s ongoing presence.
ICE officers were reportedly supported by other agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Los Angeles, a Democratic-led city, is part of a group of sanctuary cities in California, Colorado, and Illinois that have policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts.
This new enforcement comes as Los Angeles continues to recover from January’s devastating Eaton and Palisades fires, which killed 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings.
The operation marks the first major action since Caleb Vitello’s removal as acting director of ICE, following frustration over the slowdown in immigration arrests, according to sources familiar with the situation.
While President Donald Trump has publicly denied dissatisfaction with deportation levels, sources say he has privately expressed concerns to his immigration aides. Since the president’s inauguration in January, the Trump administration has ramped up its immigration enforcement efforts, with more than 14,000 undocumented immigrants arrested so far, according to Tom Homan, the country’s border czar.
Chicago was one of the first cities to experience these enhanced enforcement operations, followed by similar actions in Atlanta, Puerto Rico, Colorado, and Austin, Texas.
Homan, who was on the ground in Chicago, called the operation a “criminal operation.” He also recently boasted about a record low number of border encounters, but stated that he would not be satisfied until all criminal migrants are removed.
Homan has expressed frustration with the current pace of arrests, stating, “ICE is doing a great job, but we’ve got a lot of criminals to find.”
In New York City, a separate sweep targeting suspected gang members was part of the broader national immigration crackdown, according to a law enforcement official. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined officers during the sweep, calling those arrested “dirt bags” in online posts.
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