Questions about who federal officials are targeting in the current immigration raids have been mounting for over a month as local congressional representatives are demanding more information from federal immigration officials.
In the backdrop, there’s also a federal lawsuit looking to end the current deportation enforcement tactics being employed in Southern California.
Officials at the Department of Homeland Security often disregard questions about how many people have been arrested in a certain timeframe and if they have criminal records.
Congressman Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) wants more information about how ICE is conducting their immigration raids and who exactly is being targeted.
“This administration refuses to provide accurate data and details around what criminal record, if any, DHS components use to justify the arrest of an individual. After President Trump took office DHS stopped issuing detailed statistical reports on immigration enforcement, which makes it challenging to gauge the scope of your immigration crackdown,” reads a July 4 letter signed by Correa and a contingent of House Democrats.
They say the recent deportation sweeps are creating widespread fear throughout the community.
“We write to express serious concern with this administration’s chilling actions of rounding up and arresting individuals with no criminal history and doing so without the transparency as to why the individuals are being arrested.” reads the letter sent to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Correa and his colleagues also lambasted the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration arrest quota of 3,000 people a day.
“Since these numbers cannot be achieved without arresting non-criminals, it appears this administration will continue arresting hardworking individuals who pose no threat to our communities,” the Democratic congressional representatives wrote.
Locally, the Orange County Rapid Response Network – an immigration advocacy group – has noted people are getting arrested at the federal building in Downtown Santa Ana and the nearby immigration court after going to their required check-ins and court hearings.
Federal Lawsuit Looks to Stop Current ICE Enforcement
This week, California Attorney General Rob Bonta signed onto a federal lawsuit looking to end the current iterations of ICE raids through an injunction against warrantless stops.
Like Correa and his Democratic congressional colleagues, Bonta criticized the enforcement quotas.
“Let me be crystal clear: These raids are not about safety or justice. They are about meeting enforcement quotas and striking fear in our communities,” Bonta said in a Monday news release.
Echoing sentiments from activists and elected officials across the Golden State, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the raids aren’t focused on criminals.
“Instead of targeting dangerous criminals, federal agents are detaining U.S. citizens, ripping families apart, and vanishing people to meet indiscriminate arrest quotas without regard to due process and constitutional rights that protect all of us from cruelty and injustice. Their actions imperil the fabric of our democracy, society, and economy,” Newsom said in the Monday news release.
The lawsuit, spearheaded by the American Civil Liberties Union, is asking for the U.S. Central District Court to issue a restraining order against ICE, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies for the seemingly random stops.
“Accordingly, to prevent the further deprivation of rights, Plaintiffs seek a temporary restraining order (TRO) prohibiting Defendants from conducting detentive stops for the purposes of immigration enforcement without first establishing individualized, reasonable suspicion that the person to be stopped is unlawfully in the United States,” reads a court filing.
Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin denies the allegations.
“Any claims that individuals have been ‘targeted’ by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically FALSE. These type of smears are designed to demonize and villainize our brave ICE law enforcement. This kind of garbage has led to a more than 700 percent increase in the assaults on enforcement officers,” reads a statement emailed to Voice of OC on Thursday.
“DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence.”
Data from the Department of Homeland Security shows an overwhelming majority of the nearly 3,300 people detained in California are considered “no ICE threat.”
As of June 23, 84% of people – 2,748 detainees – are listed as no threats.
Will Orange County Cities Join the Lawsuit?
While Los Angeles county and a host of LA County cities have signed onto the lawsuit, no Orange County cities have as of Thursday.
But that could soon change as city councils gear up for meetings next week.
It comes after federal agents boarded an Orange County Transportation Authority bus early Thursday morning, asking a rider some questions and left without an arrest – the first confirmation of federal authorities boarding a public bus in the county.
[Read: Concerns Mount After ICE Agents Board Orange County Bus]
Santa Ana City Councilman Johnathan Hernandez said that the county’s only sanctuary city should be a part of any lawsuit that is looking to hold the federal government accountable for how the ICE raids are being conducted.
“If there’s a majority in favor, I think that we can also encourage neighboring cities to do the same,” Hernandez said in a Thursday phone interview, adding that the city had a clear case.
“During an administration that is showing how far they’re willing to go in terms of federal overreach and violation of your constitutional rights – I think what it’s showing us is that the last line of defense you really have today as Americans are judges and lawyers.”
Santa Ana City Councilman Ben Vazquez said he would also be in support of joining the lawsuit.
“It would be important to show force to have a collective group of cities that are all up in arms,” Vazquez said in a Thursday phone interview .
Santa Ana City Councilwoman Jessie Lopez said she has told city executives that she wants the city represented in the lawsuit.
“Our constituents have made themselves very clear in how they want us to move forward, and they want to ensure that the city is protecting them from unlawful behavior, and so this lawsuit is essentially targeting that unlawful behavior, and the city of Santa Ana must and should sign on,” she said in a Friday morning phone interview.
Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken said she expects the city council to consider joining the lawsuit soon.
“This is a council decision, and will likely be before our City Council in closed session, and I will respect that process,” Aitken said in a Thursday text message.
Meanwhile, Aitken said she’s looking to bolster aid to families impacted by the deportation sweeps and work on the city’s resource webpage.
“I remain focused on supporting our community through Anaheim Contigo with timely updates, resources and emergency assistance grants. On Tuesday, I agendized an item to talk more about what we can do to build on the Anaheim Contigo initiative and support our community during this very real time of need.”
Reacting to news of federal agents boarding a public bus in Orange County, Aitken said she hopes Vice President JD Vance takes a look at the impacts of raids on not only the local economy but families.
“With the vice president in town to visit Disneyland with his family, I hope he takes a moment to look around at the diversity that makes Anaheim strong. I hope he has a moment to reflect on how his administration’s policies are creating trauma for the Anaheim residents that are trying to work, go to school and raise their families. Our city thrives in large part to the contributions of our immigrant workforce, and I thank and appreciate their contributions to our community.”
Concerns From Republican Legislators
Last week, a contingent of Republican state legislators sent a letter urging President Donald Trump to focus the immigration raids on criminals, raising concerns the current enforcement approach is impacting the local economy.
The legislators – including OC Assemblywomen Laurie Davies (R-Laguna Niguel) and Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) – said the raids are impacting local businesses and could severely hamper the local economy.
“This fear is driving vital workers out of critical industries, taking California’s affordability crisis and making it even worse for our constituents,” reads the letter signed by six Republican state legislators.
“We support the enforcement of federal law — and we back your deployment of the National Guard to protect federal property from the violent and unlawful protests. But we urge you to direct ICE and DHS to focus their enforcement operations on criminal immigrants, and when possible to avoid the kinds of sweeping raids that instill fear and disrupt the workplace.”
Editor’s note: Ashleigh Aitken’s father, Wylie Aitken, chairs Voice of OC’s board of directors.
Spencer Custodio is the civic editor. You can reach him at scustodio@voiceofoc.org. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerCustodio.
Hosam Elattar contributed to the reporting in this article.
