The federal government has designated California, home to many sanctuary cities including LA and San Francisco, as a major target for immigration enforcement and warned of large-scale operations in the new year. The move is expected to intensify conflict with the state government.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on January 5 that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s LA field office carried out a six-day operation from December 26, 2025 to December 31, 2025, arresting 118 undocumented immigrants in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. According to DHS, those arrested included individuals with criminal records such as child sex offenders, registered sex offenders, thieves, domestic violence perpetrators, and repeat drunk drivers.
In a statement, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at DHS, said ICE “ended last year by targeting the worst criminal undocumented immigrants in California.” She added that undocumented immigrants who commit crimes “flock to California believing Governor Gavin Newsom and politicians in sanctuary cities will protect them.”
McLaughlin emphasized that federal law enforcement agencies “will continue in 2026 to do what California politicians refuse to do.”
ICE’s stance has fueled expectations that immigration enforcement in California will intensify this year. Immigration attorney Esther Valdez Clayton told Fox 5 News that ICE enforcement, arrests, detention, and deportations could increase two to three times this year, with continued focused operations targeting sanctuary cities.
In response, the California state government is preparing countermeasures. Eloise Gómez Reyes, a California state senator, announced on January 6 that she introduced legislation, SB 873, aimed at limiting what she described as indiscriminate ICE arrests inside and around courthouses. The bill seeks to prevent individuals who appear in court for trials or official proceedings from being detained by immigration enforcement officers.
Meanwhile, an unprecedented immigration enforcement operation has begun in Minnesota. According to CBS News, the Trump administration plans to deploy up to 2,000 ICE officers and agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to the Twin Cities area, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, for a 30-day intensive operation. The effort will combine immigration enforcement with investigations into suspected large-scale federal grant fraud.
BY KYEONGJUN KIM [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]
