ICE Operations Persist with New 'Smash and Grab' Tactics Across America
While public attention remains fixed on high-profile federal deployments in Minneapolis, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations have quietly continued across the United States, adopting faster, less visible methods that advocates describe as creating "a profound sense of being hunted" within immigrant communities.
Southern California Sees Accelerated Arrest Patterns
In Los Angeles, where sweeping immigration raids brought daily life to a standstill last summer, arrests have maintained a steady pace despite diminished media coverage. The Immigrant Defenders Law Center, a non-profit legal firm based in LA, reported a significant increase in calls to their legal resource hotline, with January seeing 546 calls compared to an average of 400 monthly over the previous six months.
"There's just less coverage of what's happening in LA," said Yliana Johansen-Méndez, chief program officer for the law center. "But the truth is that we haven't really seen the number of arrests drop."
What has changed dramatically is the speed of operations. Earlier in 2025, ICE typically conducted extended operations in specific locations, but recent months have seen a shift toward what Johansen-Méndez describes as "smash and grab" tactics.
"They just kind of show up in an area, do a sweep, grab a bunch of people, and by the time any responders can get there, they're gone," she explained. "So people aren't catching it on camera. There's no time for protesters or for attorneys, or any legal observers, to show up. And so they're flying under the radar by doing it faster."
National Pattern of Enforcement and Community Impact
This pattern extends beyond California. In San Diego, witnesses reported ICE agents detaining about a dozen people near a Home Depot in late December in an operation that unfolded in approximately five minutes. Neither ICE's San Diego field office nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to multiple questions about the speed or frequency of recent southern California arrests.
In Portland, Oregon, tensions remain high following multiple incidents involving federal agents, including the teargassing of thousands at a daytime march and the arrest of a seven-year-old and her parents as they sought emergency medical care. While detention calls have decreased from their peak during Operation Black Rose last year, the psychological impact remains severe.
"The impact on the folks who are in these vulnerable statuses, who are being targeted right now is, this is such a dramatic, such a profound sense of being hunted," said Alyssa Walker Keller, a coordinator for the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition's statewide hotline.
East Coast Operations and Legal Challenges
In Charlotte, North Carolina, which experienced a major operation in November, driving during morning hours remains anxiety-provoking for undocumented motorists. "Between 6am and 11am in the morning, when folks are going to work, we see people being stopped by ICE," said Andreina Malki, a spokesperson for Siembra NC, noting that immigration officers frequently target people in work vehicles.
Washington DC continues to experience elevated immigration enforcement six months after federal agents were deployed to the city. While arrests have declined from their initial surge, they remain higher than pre-deployment levels. Community organizations report ongoing patrols involving both federal agents and local police, despite a local law limiting cooperation with ICE.
"All these people are now in detention or have been deported, and their families have lost an income, a family member, a loved one, and they are still suffering the consequences of that," said Madhvi Bahl, a core organizer of the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network. "The effects will linger for years to come."
Changing Courthouse Dynamics and Community Response
Back in California, tactics appear to be evolving within San Diego's federal courthouse, where arrests increasingly occur in private rooms rather than public hallways. Father Scott Santarosa, who helps run the Faith program that trains volunteers to accompany immigrants to hearings, noted increased tension and the presence of many new ICE agents being trained.
"It feels like the new recruits that we see coming in – and we see a lot of new recruits – I think they are just trained to see us as the enemy," Santarosa observed.
Across the country, communities continue to organize responses, from "know your rights" training for healthcare workers and teachers to mutual aid networks providing legal referrals and grocery deliveries for those fearful of encountering immigration agents. The cumulative effect of these ongoing operations represents a sustained enforcement campaign operating largely outside national media spotlight while fundamentally altering daily life for immigrant communities nationwide.
