Since June, DHS says it has carried out enforcement operations in Los Angeles that led to more than 10,000 arrests despite violent protests and clashes with police. The agency highlighted arrests of individuals with serious criminal convictions and defended the campaign as necessary for public safety. California officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, criticized the tactics as harmful and potentially indiscriminate. The dispute reflects a wider national debate over sanctuary policies and federal immigration enforcement.
DHS Says It Arrested 10,000+ Undocumented Immigrants in Los Angeles Amid Violent Protests — Officials Clash Over Tactics
DHS takes victory lap after arresting over 10K illegal aliens in deep blue city despite violent riots
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says its enforcement operations in Los Angeles, which began in June, have resulted in more than 10,000 arrests of undocumented immigrants despite large street protests and political resistance from California leaders.
DHS told Fox News the campaign continued "in the face of violent rioters who assaulted our law enforcement, threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at them, and attempted to obstruct lawful arrests of criminal illegal aliens." The agency described the operation as a success even as demonstrators clashed with officers.
Protesters attempt to light a Molotov cocktail as a firework explodes during a protest in Compton, Calif., Saturday, June 7, 2025, after federal immigration authorities conducted operations.
Los Angeles and the state of California are sanctuary jurisdictions that limit local and state cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). State lawmakers recently approved measures restricting where federal agents may conduct immigration arrests — banning such actions at schools, hospitals and courthouses — and enacted a separate prohibition on agents wearing masks; both measures were signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Protests, Arrests and High-Profile Cases
Federal teams encountered repeated anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles, including episodes of vandalism, blocked streets and clashes with police. The most intense unrest occurred in June, prompting a substantial federal deployment and heightening the national dispute over immigration enforcement policy.
Fires from the Los Angeles riots this June.
Despite the protests and political pushback, DHS says arrests continued. The agency highlighted several cases involving people with serious criminal histories, including:
- Mohamed Chekchekani — A Kenyan national described by DHS as having convictions related to facilitating interstate commerce in aid of a racketeering enterprise, larceny, and possession of stolen property.
- Rene Reyes-Miranda — A Cuban national DHS lists with convictions including a sex offense against a child, sex-offender registration violations, harassment, cocaine possession and robbery.
- Alireza Hashemi — An Iranian national DHS says has convictions for rape, aggravated assault, domestic violence, burglary and DUI.
- Juan Carlos Tamayo — A Mexican national alleged to have convictions for homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide and multiple counts of attempted murder.
- Yonic Telles-Sosa — A Mexican national reportedly previously removed from the United States five times with convictions for robbery and aggravated sexual assault of a child.
- Ambartsoum Pogosium and Akop Jack Kantrozyan — Armenian nationals DHS says were arrested; Pogosium is described as having convictions for kidnapping, homicide and fraud, while Kantrozyan is accused of identity theft, conspiracy and shooting at an inhabited dwelling or vehicle.
Official Reactions
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, "In the face of violence from rioters and demonization by sanctuary politicians, DHS law enforcement has made over 10,000 arrests in Los Angeles since operations began in June. Some of the most heinous criminal illegal aliens arrested include murderers, kidnappers, sexual predators, and armed carjackers." She criticized Gov. Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass for opposing the operations.
The commander of Operation At Large CA, center, marches with federal agents to the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building after U.S. Border Patrol agents staged a show of force outside the Japanese American National Museum, where Gov. Gavin Newsom held a redistricting press conference in Los Angeles, California, on Aug. 14.
"They let these criminals roam free. Thanks to our brave law enforcement, California is safer with these thugs off their streets," McLaughlin added.
Officials in California pushed back. Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for Gov. Newsom, called the federal campaign "part of this sick game of cruelty and chaos" and warned that sweeping enforcement risks detaining U.S. citizens and lawful immigrants, including spouses of U.S. citizens. She described the operations as indiscriminate and racially motivated.
A spokesperson for Mayor Bass also challenged DHS, pointing to prior questions raised at congressional hearings about whether DHS had deported veterans in specific cases.
Why It Matters
The Los Angeles operations underscore a broader national conflict over immigration enforcement, local sanctuary policies and the role of federal agents in cities that limit cooperation with ICE. Supporters of the raids emphasize public safety and removal of repeat offenders; critics warn of civil liberties concerns, mistaken detentions and political escalation.
