logo
‘We need to find these people': L.A. immigration raids a sign of what's to come, officials say

‘We need to find these people': L.A. immigration raids a sign of what's to come, officials say

WASHINGTON — When Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail to unleash the largest deportation campaign in U.S history, he said his second administration would start by going after people with criminal records.
But now, disappointed with the pace of arrests, the Trump administration is following through on his campaign promise: targeting anyone deportable.
Raids in California have taken place at courthouses, during scheduled check-ins with immigration authorities, at clothing factories, Home Depots, car washes, farms and outside churches. But officials say the state is hardly being singled out. Raids are coming for other sanctuary jurisdictions, too, said Tom Homan, President Trump's chief advisor on border policy.
'This operation is not going to end,' he told The Times.
Across the country, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is stepping up new strategies and tearing down precedent to meet the White House's demands. Homan acknowledged the pace of deportations had not met expectations and that while the administration still prioritizes removing those who threaten public safety and national security, anyone in the country illegally is fair game.
'I'm not happy with the numbers,' he said. 'We need to find these people.'
Arrests are being made in places previously considered off limits, and the administration earlier this year rescinded a policy that prohibited enforcement actions in hospitals, schools or houses of worship. Agents who typically focus on drug and human trafficking are seeing their duties shifted to immigration enforcement.
The government is also now appealing to the public to help find and deport people in the country without authorization. The Department of Homeland Security, ICE's parent agency, released a poster on social media this week that depicts Uncle Sam urging people to call a hotline to 'report all foreign invaders.'
And in Los Angeles, the National Guard and U.S. Marines were mobilized without the consent of state and local leaders — a tactic that Trump administration officials said could be repeated elsewhere. Trump claimed the deployments have been effective — 'Los Angeles would be a crime scene like we haven't seen in years,' Trump said Thursday — but local leaders have said the protests against ICE raids had not gotten out of control and that Trump's actions only inflamed tensions.
As protests reached their seventh day in Los Angeles, incidents of violence lessened, though some tensions remained. Even so, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller wrote Wednesday on X that 'America voted for mass deportations. Violent insurrectionists, and the politicians who enable them, are trying to overthrow the results of the election.'
California Democrats say the enforcement actions are about retribution against the state for its policies that protect immigrant residents, as well as an attempt to distract the public from congressional Republicans' attempts to pass the president's tax-and-spending bill, which would add more than $150 billion for immigration and border enforcement. They say the president is testing the bounds of his authority and wants protests to spiral so that he can crack down further by invoking the Insurrection Act to establish martial law.
Invoking the Insurrection Act would allow military troops to arrest civilians. Further unrest, Trump critics say, would be welcomed by the president.
'This is about if it bleeds, it leads,' said Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles). 'So he has created and manufactured violence so that he can have a show on the television. But other people — older people, folks who are disabled, young people — are going to be bleeding when Medicaid gets cut, when people are evicted from their homes.'
While public attention has focused on the arrests of employees, the administration says it's also looking at employers who hire workers in the country illegally.
'It's not just about arresting illegal aliens, it's about holding employers responsible too — but there's a burden of proof,' Homan said. 'If we can prove it, then we'll take action.'
One former Homeland Security official in the Biden administration said immigration laws could be enforced without escalating public tension. 'Why aren't they doing I-9 audits instead of just going after people?' said the former official, Deborah Fleischaker, of forms used to verify an employee's identity and eligibility to work in the U.S. 'There are ways to do this in ways that are less disruptive and calmer. They are choosing the more aggressive way.'
In many ways, the current immigration crackdown reflects exactly what Trump said during the presidential campaign, when he declared that millions of people would be deported.
The new expansive approach appears to be a response to a late May meeting, first reported by the Washington Examiner, in which Miller lambasted dozens of senior ICE officials, asking them 'Why aren't you at Home Depot? Why aren't you at 7-Eleven?'
'Well, now they're all of a sudden at Home Depots,' Fleischaker said.
Homan said the agency has recently arrested around 2,000 people a day, up from a daily average of 657 arrests reported by the agency during Trump's first 100 days back in office. The increase is reflected in rising detention numbers, which have topped 50,000 for the first time since trump's first presidency, according to TRAC, a nonpartisan data research organization.
Asked about complaints of overcrowding and substandard conditions in detention facilities, Homan acknowledged some facilities are overcrowded during intake. Some of the immigrants detained in California since Friday have been transferred to other states, he said.
'California has been pretty stringent and they want to shut down immigration detention,' he said. 'It doesn't mean we're releasing these people. The less detention space we have in California, the more action they take in not helping us with detention beds, then we'll just simply move them out of state.'
The work of immigration agents — sometimes hours of surveillance for a single target — can be slow. Jason Houser, who was ICE's chief of staff under the Biden administration, said law enforcement agents, when given quotas, will always find the easiest way to fulfill them.
Miller, he said, knows ICE 'doesn't have enough resources or staff to get them to a million removals' by the end of the year.
Houser said that's where the military troops come in. Homeland Security officials said military personnel already have the authority to temporarily detain anyone who attacks an immigration agent until law enforcement can arrest them. Houser predicted that soldiers could soon begin handling arrests.
Critics of the administration's tactics, including former Homeland Security officials, said the White House's strategy boils down to frightening immigrants into leaving on their own. It costs a few hundred dollars a day to detain an immigrant; deportation can cost thousands, and some countries are reticent to accept the return of their citizens.
'They arrest one, they scare 10,' said one former senior ICE official. 'That's a win.'
The former official, who asked not to be named in order to speak freely, said that's an about-face from the Biden administration, during which agents answered to lawyers and precedent.
'Everything was vetted and vetted … to the detriment in some ways of the agency,' the former official said. 'But to see them just doing whatever they want when they want, it's a little stunning and it's like, look at all the things we could've done if we had that attitude. But they seem to have so little regard for consequences, lawsuits, media, public opinion — they have no constraints.'
Homan said protests in Los Angeles have made enforcement actions more dangerous but have not prevented agents from making as many arrests as planned.
'If the protesters think they're going to stop us from doing our job, it's not true,' he said. 'We're going to probably increase operations in sanctuary cities, because we have to.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

An anti-DEI investment firm is postponing its Tesla ETF, saying Elon Musk has 'gone too far' by launching a political party
An anti-DEI investment firm is postponing its Tesla ETF, saying Elon Musk has 'gone too far' by launching a political party

Business Insider

time14 minutes ago

  • Business Insider

An anti-DEI investment firm is postponing its Tesla ETF, saying Elon Musk has 'gone too far' by launching a political party

Elon Musk's decision to set up a new political party is already proving a headache for Tesla. James Fishback, CEO of investment firm Azoria, said on Sunday that the firm — which has stated its opposition to DEI targets and "woke" companies — will postpone its planned public listing of a Tesla ETF, which would invest in the EV giant's shares and options. In a post on X, Fishback, who previously worked as an outside advisor to DOGE, said that the billionaire had "gone too far" with his latest plan to set up the "America Party" and take on both Republicans and Democrats. Fishback, who included a letter to Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm in his X post, added that the new party "creates a conflict" with Musk's responsibilities as CEO of Tesla and "actively undermines" the company's mission. "I encourage the Board to meet immediately and ask Elon to clarify his political ambitions and evaluate whether they are compatible with his full-time obligations to Tesla as CEO," said Fishback. Tesla's share price was down as much as 7% premarket on Monday, as investors expressed unease over Musk's decision to dive back into politics. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote in a Sunday note that investors were feeling a "sense of exhaustion" over Musk's new political party. The longtime Tesla bear said that Musk, who told investors in April that he would step back from his role in the Trump administration to focus on the beleaguered EV maker, was going in "exactly the opposition direction" to what Tesla shareholders wanted. Ives also warned that the billionaire's extremely public falling out with Trump could create additional hurdles for Tesla in the future. Other investors expressed similar frustrations. "Waymo has solved autonomous driving. Meanwhile, Elon is starting a new political party," wrote Tesla investor and regular Musk critic Ross Gerber on X. An outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, Fishback told Business Insider in January he had served as an outside advisor to DOGE, and proposed the idea of a "DOGE dividend" earlier this year. The investment banker, who has said that he owns Tesla stock and that the EV giant is Azoria's largest position, also accused Musk of being fixated on "sabotaging President Trump" and said the Tesla CEO was an "absolute failure" at DOGE in a series of posts on X.

Live updates: Trump hosting Netanyahu at White House as U.S. pushes for ceasefire deal in Gaza
Live updates: Trump hosting Netanyahu at White House as U.S. pushes for ceasefire deal in Gaza

Washington Post

time18 minutes ago

  • Washington Post

Live updates: Trump hosting Netanyahu at White House as U.S. pushes for ceasefire deal in Gaza

President Donald Trump is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday as the United States pushes for a ceasefire deal in Gaza. The two leaders, who are scheduled to meet over dinner, are also expected to discuss U.S. efforts to strike a permanent deal with Iran in the wake of recent airstrikes on its nuclear facilities. Trump is also scheduled to sign executive orders at the White House on Monday. Meanwhile, the administration is scrambling to strike a handful of trade deals this week. Republicans have cheered as President Donald Trump, through a series of lawsuits, executive orders and pure political browbeating, has dramatically expanded the power of the presidency. Those celebrations, however, may turn to anguish the next time a Democrat wins the White House. The onslaught of ads looking to brand the recently passed Republican megabill has begun. A series of Democratic organizations, from Unrig Our Economy to Protect Our Care to the League of Conservation Voters, began airing ads attacking the bill since its passage, with many of the spots directly targeting vulnerable Republicans who voted for the legislation. Since February, the Trump administration has been touting a $5 million visa to wealthy foreigners to get into the United States with lofty promises of an immediate rollout. But in reality, any Trump gold visas are a long way off — if they can ever be implemented at all. BRUSSELS — With only three days remaining before President Donald Trump's self-imposed July 9 deadline, U.S. and European negotiators continue to haggle over a skeletal trade deal that would defer a resolution of their toughest commercial disputes. The prospective accord, which would spare European goods the 50 percent tariffs that Trump has threatened to impose, is one of a relative handful of deals the administration is set to finalize by Wednesday. Republicans waged a mighty, messy and ultimately successful campaign to push their One Big Beautiful Bill Act to President Donald Trump's desk for a Fourth of July signing ceremony. The next campaign — the political battle to define and defend it — will challenge Republicans just as much. By any measure, passage of the bill represents a major victory for a president whose influence and dominance continue to expand.

Trump hosts Netanyahu to discuss ‘good chance' of Gaza ceasefire
Trump hosts Netanyahu to discuss ‘good chance' of Gaza ceasefire

News24

time19 minutes ago

  • News24

Trump hosts Netanyahu to discuss ‘good chance' of Gaza ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump. Trump believes a Gaza ceasefire deal is imminent. The primary point of contention is Israel's rejection of Hamas' demand for a lasting ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will on Monday meet US President Donald Trump, who expressed hope for a 'deal this week' between Israel and Hamas that sees hostages released from the Gaza Strip. Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas began on Sunday evening in Doha, aiming to broker a ceasefire and reach an agreement on the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Trump said Sunday there was a 'good chance' of reaching an agreement. 'We've gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out,' he told journalists. Netanyahu, speaking before boarding his flight to Washington on Sunday, said his meeting with Trump could 'definitely help advance this' deal. The US president is pushing for a truce in the Gaza Strip, plunged into a humanitarian crisis after nearly two years of war. Netanyahu said he dispatched the team to Doha with 'clear instructions' to reach an agreement 'under the conditions that we have agreed to'. He previously said Hamas's response to a draft US-backed ceasefire proposal, conveyed through Qatari and Egyptian mediators, contained 'unacceptable' demands. Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions told AFP the proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. However, they said, the group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel's withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system. Netanyahu has an 'important mission' in Washington, 'advancing a deal to bring all our hostages home,' said Israeli President Isaac Herzog after meeting him on Sunday. Trump is not scheduled to meet the Israeli premier until 18:30 (22:30 GMT) on Monday, the White House said, without the usual presence of journalists. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Since Hamas' October 2023 attack sparked the massive Israeli offensive in Gaza, mediators have brokered two temporary halts in the fighting. They have seen hostages freed in exchange for some of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. Recent efforts to broker a new truce have repeatedly failed, with the primary point of contention being Israel's rejection of Hamas' demand for a lasting ceasefire. In Gaza, the territory's civil defence agency reported 26 people killed by Israeli forces on Sunday, 10 of them in a strike in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood. 'We are losing young people, families and children every day, and this must stop now,' Sheikh Radwan resident Osama al-Hanawi told AFP. Enough blood has been shed. Osama al-Hanawi Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific strikes without precise coordinates. The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip. A US- and Israel-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), took the lead in food distribution in the territory in late May, when Israel partially lifted a more than two-month blockade on aid deliveries. Eyad Baba/AFP But its operations have had a chaotic rollout, with repeated reports of aid seekers killed near its facilities while awaiting rations. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. The UN human rights office said last week that more than 500 people have been killed waiting to access food from GHF distribution points. The Gaza health ministry on Sunday placed that toll even higher, at 751 killed. Hamas' October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1 219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57 418 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store