Human Impact Project

From November 26 through December 1, 2025, ICE and HSI stopped and questioned approximately 25 people during Thanksgiving week, detaining at least 15 of them. Operations spanned multiple Southern California locations including the San Fernando Valley (Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Carlsbad), San Bernardino area (San Bernardino, Ontario, Fontana, Montclair), San Diego, and Orange County, with at least two detentions confirmed on Thanksgiving Day itself. ICE employed increased vehicle stops, questioned people at gas stations and bus stops, and was observed near detention facilities in San Luis Obispo, Oxnard, Rialto, and El Monte.

Community organizers in Fontana, California are providing legal representation and mental health support resources to an Indigenous family in connection with immigration enforcement actions.

A person warned their community that ICE agents were staging outside houses and then parked at a trolley station to observe. When ICE agents returned to the station, they attempted to detain the person, who fled because the agents were masked and refused to identify themselves. The person claims to be an American citizen and states that other people were also detained at the scene.

San Diego Humane Society has taken in 18 pets from 11 owners since June 2025, operating at 173% capacity. Animals including Tita, a 4-year-old Chihuahua whose owners were deported, and Cata, a pit bull mix found in Mira Mesa after her owner's deportation, are among those left behind. The county Department of Animal Services has also received pets from deported individuals.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted enforcement operations in Long Beach on Thursday, resulting in at least nine detentions at workplaces. Mayor Rex Richardson and Supervisor Janice Hahn commented on the operations, with Richardson referencing a violent incident involving a gardener at a restaurant. DHS stated six people in the country without authorization from Mexico were arrested who had prior criminal histories.

Federal immigration agents detained a gardener in Long Beach's University Park Estates neighborhood after chasing him into Polly's Pies restaurant and tackling him in front of two off-duty Long Beach Police Department officers, who did not intervene after recognizing the operation as federal immigration enforcement. The man claimed to be a dual citizen and showed agents an identification card during the encounter. Restaurant staff who knew him contacted his family, and a local business improvement district board member retrieved the keys to his work truck for them. Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson criticized the operation as an "abduction," saying it reflected "a pattern of enforcement rooted in fear and intimidation." Agents also arrested three people outside Cherry Donuts and were reported at four additional locations that morning, including a church and intersections along Pacific Coast Highway.

Victor Rodriguez Ocampo Sr., 54, longtime owner of La Playa Taco Shop in Pacific Beach, was detained by ICE agents outside his National City home on Oct. 31, 2025. He was held at Otay Mesa Detention Center before being deported to Mexico in January 2026. His son, Victor Jr., ran the restaurant in his absence before joining the Navy, and the taco shop, which had served the community for 30 years, permanently closed on Sept. 19, 2026.

ICE conducted a raid at a Koreatown plaza in Los Angeles. A security guard at the location reported that approximately 10 people were detained during the operation. The guard stated that shoppers were present at businesses in the plaza including Speakeasy Fitness and Food 4 Less.

A British woman was arrested by ICE while holding her 5-month-old baby at her green card interview in San Diego on November 20, 2025. She spent five days in custody before being released with her green card approved on November 25. Multiple immigration attorneys noted that federal law provides exceptions for direct relatives of U.S. citizens undergoing adjustment of status.

ICE conducted operations at six locations in Long Beach on November 20, 2025, detaining at least nine people. One detention involved a gardener who was chased and attacked inside Polly's Pies restaurant in front of customers and dining police officers. Local elected officials and community organizations issued criticism regarding ICE's enforcement tactics.

Vicente Ventura Aguilar has been missing for over 45 days after suffering a medical emergency while in ICE custody in South Los Angeles. He and a friend were taken by masked agents, and his friend, who was deported to Mexico, last saw him fainting in ICE custody. Despite searches of hospitals, morgues, and government agencies, and DHS reporting no records of him, his whereabouts remain unknown.

An Australian woman and wife of a Navy veteran was arrested by ICE agents during her green card interview on November 18, 2025, in the same enforcement operation as other military spouses. She was detained for eight days before an immigration judge ordered her release on bond on November 26, 2025. She has no criminal history and remains eligible to pursue her green card through her U.S. citizen spouse. Her attorney noted this was the first arrest of this type at green card interviews in over 12 years of practice.

Chanidaphon Sopimpa, a Thai national and wife of retired Marine Staff Sergeant Samuel Shasteen, was arrested by ICE agents during her final green card interview on November 18, 2025, and detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center. Sopimpa had overstayed her visa but the couple had been pursuing her green card through marriage to a U.S. citizen spouse, which includes a federal law exception for such cases. ICE stated the arrests were for visa overstays, but immigration attorneys note this enforcement action at green card interviews is unprecedented in recent history. Sopimpa has no criminal history and is scheduled for a bond hearing.

A man in a white truck impersonated an ICE agent by displaying a fake badge and clipboard while harassing an Uber driver and passenger near USC in Los Angeles. The man yelled racist slurs, spat at the vehicle multiple times, and chased them for several blocks before fleeing. The incident lasted approximately 20 minutes and was reported to 911 and the Newton Community Police Station.

Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz, an 18-year-old rising senior at Reseda Charter High School, was detained by federal immigration agents on August 8, 2025, while walking his family's dog in Van Nuys. A neighbor said masked agents in unmarked vests labeled "immigration police" took him, leaving the dog loose in an alley. He was held at a Los Angeles detention center before being transferred to a facility in Arizona on August 26, awaiting deportation proceedings. Educators, former teachers and community activists rallied outside LAUSD headquarters on August 19 demanding his release so he could return to school, while his family, including four younger siblings who missed him, started a GoFundMe to support him. An immigration judge granted him bond on November 17, and he was released and reunited with his family just before Thanksgiving after months in custody.

A man who had resided in the United States since 2001 with no criminal history and U.S. citizen family members was detained by immigration authorities in November 2025. He was charged with entering without inspection and denied a bond hearing under Section 1225(b)(2). The federal court granted his habeas petition, finding his detention violated due process, and ordered either immediate release or an individualized bond hearing within 7 days.

Carlos Jimenez, a 24-25-year-old U.S. citizen and food bank worker with three children, was shot in the shoulder by ICE agents on October 30, 2025, during an enforcement action in Ontario near an elementary school bus stop on Baseline Avenue. According to Jimenez's legal team, he approached the officers to warn them that children would soon arrive at the nearby school bus stop, and was shot from behind while attempting to leave the scene after an agent drew a gun and pepper spray. Federal authorities maintain Jimenez reversed his vehicle toward officers in a threatening manner, prompting defensive gunfire. A bullet remains lodged in his right shoulder, and bullet fragments remain in his torso, causing ongoing pain. Jimenez was arrested and charged with assault on a federal officer but was released on bond and has pleaded not guilty. The incident is under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security and FBI. His attorneys argue the shooting reflects a broader pattern of escalated ICE enforcement tactics.

A man who had been living in the US for 25 years with three US citizen children was arrested by ICE agents immediately after a criminal court hearing in November 2025. He had been released without conditions since 2019 following his initial NTA but was re-detained based on a misdemeanor assault plea. The court ordered his immediate release, finding his detention without a pre-detention hearing violated his procedural due process rights.

A Venezuelan asylum seeker, an undocumented immigrant with pending asylum applications, was detained by ICE officers on November 13, 2025, during a routine check-in at the ICE field office in San Francisco. She had been released on an Order of Recognizance after arriving at the border in June 2024 and had complied with all release requirements and court hearings. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring her immediate release from custody and prohibiting re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing.

British journalist and political commentator Sami Hamdi was detained by ICE at San Francisco International Airport on October 26, 2025, after his visa was revoked. Hamdi was on a speaking tour in the United States when detained. He was held in overcrowded detention facilities for 18 days before being released and returning to the UK on November 13. Trump administration officials stated his visa had been revoked, leading to deportation proceedings. Hamdi maintains he was legally in the US on a valid visa at the time of his detention. The Council on American-Islamic Relations reported on the detention.