Between June 6 and Sunday, immigration enforcement teams arrested 1,618 people for deportation across Los Angeles and nearby areas in Southern California, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Homeland Security did not clarify how many of those taken into custody had criminal records or provide details on their convictions.
As arrests swept through the region, demonstrations erupted in opposition to the federal government’s actions. Bystanders at times confronted immigration agents or filmed their encounters. During that same period, 787 individuals were arrested for assault, obstruction, or unlawful assembly, according to a Homeland Security spokesperson.
A White House report released on June 11 revealed that about one-third of the people arrested in Los Angeles up to that point had prior criminal convictions.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Los Angeles oversees a broad “area of responsibility,” including the greater L.A. region, the Central Coast, Orange County, Riverside County, and up through San Luis Obispo County.
Initial data from the Los Angeles operation indicated that most of those arrested had no prior charges or convictions.
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin stated Monday that, under the Trump administration, 75% of nationwide immigration arrests have involved individuals with criminal records or pending charges. However, ICE’s own recent data suggests that percentage has dropped.
Nationally, arrests of immigrants without criminal records have surged, with many involving nonviolent offenses. According to confidential data obtained by the Cato Institute covering the period from October 1 to June 15, immigration and traffic violations are the most common offenses.
Just 7% of detainees are classified as serious violent offenders, the institute reports.
Federal immigration officers have ramped up efforts to fulfill President Trump’s pledge of mass deportations. In California, this has led to arrests in locations ranging from courthouses to farms to Home Depot parking lots.
Still, despite a national target of 3,000 arrests per day, officials say enforcement agents are not detaining enough individuals.
Democrats and immigrant advocates argue the arrests appear indiscriminate. Though the raids and protests have been intense, Homeland Security’s 1,618 arrests across Southern California over more than two weeks average just 101 per day — a relatively modest figure compared to the daily national target.
Advocates believe the broader impact lies less in the number of arrests and more in the fear these actions have generated.