Poll Finds Trump’s ICE Raids Backfiring Politically in California

(LOS ANGELES) President Trump’s stepped-up ICE raids across California in 2025 are facing a fast-growing backlash in Los Angeles and other cities, as fresh polling, court orders, and daily street protests pull the state and federal government into a widening fight over immigration enforcement.

A CBS poll released in July found that 79% of Americans view immigration as a good thing for the country, with opposition to broad sweeps especially high in California. Demonstrations in Los Angeles have swelled in size through the summer, with marchers accusing federal agents of racially biased stops and arrests that sweep up families and workers alongside people with criminal records.

Protesters and immigrant advocates describe a “long deportation summer,” a phrase used by local outlets to capture the tense mood in neighborhoods emptied by early morning operations. Reports from CalMatters and the Los Angeles Times describe businesses losing customers, parents skipping school drop-offs, and workers taking unpaid leave to avoid public spaces. Some residents have decided to self-deport, a quiet exit community groups say has surged as fear spreads in Los Angeles and beyond.

Federal forces and local pushback

Tensions jumped in June when President Trump federalized 2,000 California National Guard troops and sent them into Los Angeles to support federal operations and confront protestors, over the objections of Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later moved 700 U.S. Marines into the city, a rare step that state officials said turned a civil dispute into a militarized standoff. Newsom and Bass blasted the moves as a “national experiment” that uses California as a playground to test unsafe arrest quotas and mass detention goals, saying local police and sheriffs were being pushed aside in favor of federal muscle.

Reports of mistaken detentions and due process concerns

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, public frustrations have grown as residents hear stories of U.S. citizens and green card holders detained and questioned during ICE raids around Los Angeles.

• Advocates describe confusion during fast-paced home and workplace operations.
• Lawyers report spikes in calls about “expedited removal,” a process that can send someone out of the United States 🇺🇸 without a hearing.
• Community organizations say due process often fares poorly when families are split up and relatives struggle to find where loved ones are being held.

Court orders and legal standoff

The breaking legal news hit on July 12, 2025, when a federal judge in Los Angeles issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) that:

• Blocks indiscriminate ICE arrests based on race or language.
• Requires access to legal counsel for detainees in California.
• Found early evidence agents were stopping people without reasonable suspicion or a warrant.
• Noted that sweeps were picking up U.S. citizens and legal residents.

The ruling has national reach but its immediate impact is felt most sharply in Los Angeles, where ICE raids have been concentrated and protests have clogged major streets through the summer.

The Trump administration quickly appealed. As of August 7, 2025, government lawyers filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court to lift the ban on roving immigration sweeps across California. A preliminary injunction hearing is set, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to weigh in soon.

• Legal groups including the ACLU have filed separate suits alleging agents used race, language, or workplace location as pretexts for stops and searches.
• Religious organizations have sued over ICE activity in houses of worship, citing First Amendment protections.

In background briefings, Department of Justice officials said they are gathering data from California counties on all jail inmates who are not U.S. citizens to sharpen enforcement against those with criminal records. State officials counter that California’s sanctuary laws already allow cooperation in serious cases and accuse Washington of chasing broad jail lists to expand raids.

The administration argues the push for higher deportation numbers is needed to protect the public. Critics respond that many targeted in Los Angeles have no criminal history and are being swept up in a numbers-driven campaign.

Scale of enforcement and daily operations

The government’s own targets underline the scope of the effort:

• ICE has been instructed to deport 3,000 people per day — a large jump from past years.
• In January 2025, operations focused on sanctuary cities resulted in 538 detentions in a single day.
• Follow-on activity continued through spring and summer, with raids often occurring near homes, workplaces, and even outside immigration courts.

When people are taken straight into expedited removal, attorneys say the time to seek relief or collect evidence shrinks to near zero.

Human and economic fallout

Local leaders in Los Angeles say the ripple effects extend into almost every corner of daily life.

• Small shops report fewer patrons.
• Schools see attendance dips, especially after early morning stops in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods.
• Workers avoid public transit or switch to cash-only work.
• Families plan groceries, doctor visits, and school runs around ICE raids.
• Some avoid reporting crimes to police out of fear a stop could lead to questions about immigration status.

“Trust has snapped,” said one community organizer, summarizing what CalMatters and the Los Angeles Times have documented. Immigrant advocates add that children, many U.S. citizens, suffer when a parent is detained without warning and moved far from Los Angeles within hours.

State and city officials have resisted federal threats to pull funds over California’s sanctuary policies. Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass defend those laws, which limit when local agencies may help ICE, except for serious crimes. They argue those lines preserve police-community relations and neighborhood safety.

Legal groups say the July 12 court order marked a turning point because it forces ICE to show reasonable suspicion for stops and to allow access to lawyers. That protection could change depending on the Supreme Court appeal and the Ninth Circuit’s next steps.

Attorneys in Los Angeles are advising families to:

1. Keep a copy of the TRO handy.
2. Use know-your-rights scripts during encounters with agents.
3. Ask to speak to an attorney and avoid signing papers in detention without counsel.

The ACLU and other groups have posted basic guidance and hotlines. The California Department of Justice also points residents to legal aid and complaint channels.

Broader demographic and economic trends

A study released on August 22, 2025, shows immigration to the U.S. has declined for the first time in 50 years, with California’s immigrant population falling as enforcement hardened.

• Economists warn fewer workers and consumers can slow growth, especially in regions like Los Angeles where immigrants power key industries.
• Fear-driven departures and a pause in new arrivals may hold back hiring and deepen labor shortages in hospitality, care work, and construction.

The administration calls the stepped-up operations necessary to target “public safety threats.” Analysts counter that roving sweeps driven by daily removal goals blur the line between serious offenders and peaceful residents, increasing the odds of detaining people without records.

Political and legal stakes

According to VisaVerge.com, the political impact in California may be running against the White House.

• The CBS poll’s broad support for immigration, plus a summer of video clips showing raids, has given state leaders and advocacy groups material to rally their base.
• The administration’s legal strategy aims to move the fight from city streets to federal courts.
• The emergency Supreme Court appeal seeks to restore roving operations while longer cases proceed.

If the TRO stands, agents in California must follow tighter standards for stops and ensure access to lawyers. If higher courts lift the order, ICE may return to wider sweeps in Los Angeles and other hubs. Community groups are preparing for both possibilities: urging residents to prepare documents, set family plans, and keep emergency contacts close.

Lawyers stress people should ask to speak to an attorney and avoid signing papers in detention without legal advice.

What officials and residents can do now

California officials say they will enforce state law while respecting federal authority within constitutional limits. That balance is harder when Marines or National Guard units are present near protest sites.

• Newsom and Bass argue mass raids risk tearing apart local trust.
• The administration replies federal law is supreme and cities cannot block arrests for immigration violations.

The stakes extend beyond Los Angeles. If the Supreme Court lifts limits on ICE raids in California, other states may see copycat operations and similar legal fights. If restrictions hold, advocates nationwide may push for comparable guardrails on stops, access to counsel, and limits on sweeping arrests based on race or language.

For now, both sides are waiting on the next court date, even as daily life in Los Angeles adjusts to raids that can reroute a morning commute or empty a playground in minutes.

Residents seeking official information about enforcement operations and detention can visit ICE’s website at https://www.ice.gov. Community groups stress checking reliable sources and calling trusted hotlines for help. The ACLU of Southern California’s Immigrants’ Rights Project and the California Department of Justice offer legal aid referrals and complaint channels. ICE also lists a number for detention reporting and legal assistance.

What happens in the coming weeks will set the pattern for the fall: either a court-ordered pause that reins in roving sweeps, or a green light that lets agents ramp up arrests again across Los Angeles and the rest of California.

• Parents are already planning school runs with new care.
• Employers are rethinking schedules.
• In a city built by waves of newcomers, the future of immigration policy is no longer abstract — it will decide who shows up for work tomorrow, who opens the shop at dawn, and who makes it home at night.