Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Thursday that federal agents have arrested more than 10,000 undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles, a figure that has drawn sharp rebuke from California officials.
Federal Arrests in Los Angeles
Noem did not disclose when the arrests occurred, but she noted that immigration enforcement began on a large scale on June 6 when three workplaces in downtown Los Angeles were raided. The announcement was made on her social media, where she accused Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom of having “FAILED the people of California.” She added, “They have let murders, kidnappers. and sexual predators, and roam free,” in a post that quickly went viral.
Trump Administration’s Narrative
NBC Los Angeles could not independently confirm how many of the 10,000 people had criminal history. The Trump administration, however, has been loudly proclaiming that it is “removing illegal immigrant killers, rapists, gangbangers, drug traffickers and other violent criminals off (the) streets – and sending them back.” The administration’s messaging frames the arrests as a decisive action against violent crime.
Data on Criminal Histories
New data NBC News received this week shows that more than one third of people immigration officials arrested during the first nine months of the Trump administration had no criminal histories. According to data shared by the University of California, Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project, of the 220,000 people arrested by Immigration Customs Enforcement officers between Jan. 20 and Oct. 15, nearly 75,000 had no criminal records.
California’s Response
The office of Governor Newsom called the Trump administration’s immigration policy a “sick game of cruelty and chaos that President and Stephen Miller are playing” in response to the NBCLA’s request for comment. The governor’s office said, “The reality is that their obsession with mass arrests, detention and deportations is spurring indiscriminate and racially-motivated immigration raids with serious societal and economic consequences.” It added that the policy is “arresting American citizens, hardworking parents and contributors to our economy, while also wasting taxpayer money to go after those who are legitimately going through the legal immigration process, like the spouses of U.S. citizens.”
California also stated that it is “trying to ensure bad criminals have no place in our society, including coordinating with ICE when these people get out of our prisons.” The governor’s office concluded, “We support public safety, while the Trump agenda is all for inflating headlines.”
Mayor Bass’s Statement
The NBCLA reached out to Mayor Bass for comment. She responded that “Los Angeles is a proud city of immigrants, and we stand with every member of our immigrant communities. They are our friends and neighbors. We value them, and we know that the vast majority of immigrants are law-abiding, hardworking people-families seeking safety, opportunity, and a better future. Our immigrant communities are an essential part of our neighborhoods, our schools, and our economy.”
Key Takeaways
- Secretary Noem claims federal agents arrested over 10,000 undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles.
- The Trump administration frames the arrests as a crackdown on violent criminals, while data shows a significant portion had no criminal records.
- California officials criticize the policy as indiscriminate, racially-motivated, and wasteful, and emphasize support for public safety.
The debate over the legitimacy and impact of the arrests continues as both federal and state officials present contrasting narratives and data. The situation underscores the ongoing tension between federal immigration enforcement and state responses to immigrant communities in California.
