Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has escalated its operations in Los Angeles, launching a broader crackdown on undocumented immigrants and the employers who hire them.
In an interview with Fox News on July 20, Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, said he would stay in LA “until every foreign national who committed a crime is dealt with.” Speaking with CBS the same day, Lyons added that anyone found to be living in the country illegally would be subject to arrest, and that investigations and penalties would also target companies employing undocumented immigrants.
While ICE prioritizes the arrest of undocumented individuals with criminal records, Lyons said resistance from sanctuary cities like LA would make “collateral arrests” unavoidable. This refers to the apprehension of undocumented individuals who are not the main targets but are detained during enforcement operations.
ICE’s job postings for new agents now explicitly mention the possibility of using deadly force, citing situations involving multiple suspects in high-risk environments. Enforcement tactics have also expanded beyond raids. According to the Associated Press on July 14, ICE has issued administrative subpoenas to landlords, requesting lease agreements, tenant IDs, and cohabitant information.
On July 16, online outlet LA Taco reported that ICE has increasingly used roadside stops to detain undocumented immigrants, shifting away from large-scale workplace or home raids.
Reactions to the aggressive measures have been mixed. Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama dismissed concerns, saying U.S. citizens who associate with undocumented immigrants “cannot expect to avoid arrest.”
At the local level, the crackdown has drawn sharp criticism. Amid public backlash following immigration-related violence, the Trump administration deployed National Guard and Marine units to LA. Mayor Karen Bass criticized the deployment, saying most troops were guarding empty federal buildings and “playing video games,” with only about 200 actively involved. She called the deployment a “wasteful political show at taxpayers’ expense.”
Although President Donald Trump ordered some troops to withdraw, around 2,000 National Guard members remain. On July 21, the Department of Defense announced it would pull 700 Marines from the city by the end of the week, stating that the military presence had symbolically signaled that lawlessness would not be tolerated.
BY HANKIL KANG [kang.hankil@koreadaily.com]
