- California’s SB 54 limits local police cooperation with federal ICE agents during immigration raids and enforcement actions.
- The June 2025 raids triggered widespread protests and the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles.
- Immigrants retain fundamental legal rights including remaining silent and requiring judicial warrants for home entry.
(LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA) ICE raids in June 2025 pushed California’s sanctuary rules back into the center of the immigration fight. In Los Angeles County and across the state, SB 54 still limits local police help with federal immigration enforcement, even during major federal operations.
That matters because many families do not face arrest from ICE alone; they also worry about traffic stops, workplace checks, and whether local officers will share information. In 2026, those questions still shape daily life for mixed-status households, workers, and students.
California’s system rests on a simple split. Federal agents handle immigration enforcement. Local and state police handle public safety, but SB 54 blocks most cooperation with civil immigration arrests, detention requests, and immigration holds. The law was passed in 2018 after years of conflict over federal crackdowns.
How SB 54 works during an ICE operation
SB 54, the California Values Act, does not stop ICE raids. It limits what California officers do during them. Police and sheriffs cannot use local money, staff, or jail space to help with most civil immigration actions.
That means local officers generally do not hold someone for ICE after a local case ends. They do not transfer people for civil immigration pickup. They also do not ask about immigration status when people report crimes, seek protection, or call for help.
There are exceptions tied to serious crimes and narrow legal rules. But the broader rule stays the same: state and local agencies are kept apart from routine federal immigration work. For readers who want the state’s own guidance, the California Department of Justice immigration resources page explains the law and related protections.
What happened in June 2025
ICE launched raids on June 10 and 11, 2025, in Los Angeles County and California’s agricultural regions. Reports from the period described raids at workplaces and in communities, with several major locations in Los Angeles hit within days.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the operations as public-safety actions against “vicious illegal alien criminals.” Community advocates pushed back, saying many people swept up had no criminal history. The raids triggered protests in Los Angeles on June 11, and the federal government deployed the National Guard.
That deployment raised the political temperature even higher. For many residents, the message was clear: federal immigration enforcement was not staying at the border or in detention facilities. It was reaching neighborhoods, farms, and job sites in Los Angeles County.
What happens when ICE arrives
ICE operations usually follow a familiar pattern. Agents identify a target, arrive without warning, question people, and make arrests. After that, detainees can be moved to immigration detention and placed into removal proceedings.
For families, the timeline often feels immediate. A parent may miss work in the morning and be in custody by afternoon. Children may come home to an empty house. Employers may lose staff without notice. School attendance, rent, and bills quickly become harder to manage.
Community groups filled that gap after the June raids. CHIRLA, the ACLU of Southern California, and other organizations expanded legal clinics, rights workshops, and support for relatives trying to locate detained loved ones. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, demand for legal aid and trauma support rose sharply after the operations.
What local police can and cannot do
California officers cannot act as ICE agents under SB 54. They cannot hold people for civil immigration detainers in the ordinary course of business. They also cannot coordinate routine immigration sweeps with federal officers.
They can still enforce state law. If someone is arrested for a state crime, local officers handle that case under normal criminal rules. But immigration status does not become the reason for local action.
This limit matters in Los Angeles County because trust shapes whether people call 911, report violence, or cooperate with investigations. State and local leaders argue that public safety weakens when immigrants fear every contact with police. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said, “We are guided and bound by the California Values Act. Our job is to protect all residents, regardless of their immigration status.”
Rights people use during enforcement encounters
People facing ICE raids or immigration checks often focus on three basic rights. They have the right to remain silent. They have the right to ask for a lawyer. They have the right to refuse entry into a home unless agents show a judicial warrant.
These rights matter at home, at work, and on the street. Community workshops in 2025 and 2026 have repeated the same message: stay calm, do not run, do not sign papers you do not understand, and ask for legal help as soon as possible.
If a person is detained, immigration forms may follow later in the process. The federal government’s USCIS forms page is the official place to find forms used in many immigration cases.
Why the conflict keeps growing
Federal officials say aggressive enforcement is needed for public safety and lawful immigration control. California officials say public trust depends on keeping local police separate from immigration raids. Those positions collide every time ICE enters a neighborhood in Los Angeles County.
The clash also fuels wider fear. Parents skip errands. Workers stay home. Some people avoid hospitals, schools, and even police stations. That avoidance does not stay private. It changes how communities function.
As 2026 begins, the same tensions remain active. SB 54 still stands. ICE still has federal authority to conduct operations. Local law enforcement still has limits on cooperation. And community groups still play a major role in teaching rights, finding lawyers, and keeping families connected after arrests.
Official government resources remain important during that process. DHS and ICE maintain public enforcement information on their federal sites, while California keeps its sanctuary rules in force through state law. For people in Los Angeles County, the practical lesson is direct: federal raids can happen, but SB 54 still limits how California police help them.
