Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted a massive sweep of the Los Angeles area, netting over 100 alleged illegal immigrants in a raid the agency said was part of a crackdown on "uncooperative jurisdictions" like Los Angeles.
In a statement provided to KCAL-TV in Los Angeles, an ICE spokesperson indicated that ICE intends to further increase their enforcement activity in the coming weeks and months. According to the statement, "ICE no longer exempts classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States."
In a separate statement provided to NPR, ICE stated that the raids were not carried out at random, but rather that they targeted "individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security." The email also blamed Los Angeles law enforcement for failing to assist in the raids and causing ICE to use "additional resources to conduct at-large arrests in the community, putting officers, the general public and the aliens at risk and increasing the incidents of collateral arrests."
ICE agents also recently conducted raids on 77 businesses in northern California.
California Governor Jerry Brown (D) effectively made the entire state of California a "sanctuary state" when he signed a bill last October that prevented local law enforcement from enforcing immigration holds or from inquiring into any person's immigration status.
