Immigration arrests in Los Angeles have been headline information and the topic of authorized disputes for the previous few weeks, however Angelenos watching the drama play out on tv and of their communities could also be confused about who precisely is placing individuals in handcuffs and hauling them off.
In spite of everything, a number of the federal brokers concerned within the raids are in unmarked autos, with out seen badges, sporting avenue garments and masking their faces. Are they U.S. Division of Homeland Safety brokers, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers or Homeland Safety Investigations officers? What’s the distinction?
All these federal businesses are branches of the Division of Homeland Safety, which was created to fight terrorism in the US within the wake of 9/11 terrorist assaults.
Its duties embrace responding to pure disasters, terrorism and homeland safety threats, implementing commerce legal guidelines (by checking items coming into and out of the U.S.), in addition to managing the circulate of individuals and merchandise at U.S. borders. Three branches of Homeland Safety perform the enforcement of those missions: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Safety Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Safety.
Federal brokers have been most just lately sighted with out figuring out clothes or badges, sporting face coverings and armed with pistols at Dodger Stadium’s entry gates on Thursday.
When protesters discovered of the officers’ presence and demonstrated exterior the stadium, they held indicators that learn “ICE out of L.A.”
However the officers exterior the stadium have been truly U.S. Customs and Border Safety brokers who “have been within the stadium parking zone very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement,” the company mentioned.
Confused?
Immigration officers’ manner of figuring out themselves when conducting operations is by verbally saying they’re ICE or Homeland Safety brokers, Homeland Safety officers advised The Occasions in an announcement. The federal company additionally mentioned immigration brokers put on vests that say “ICE/ERO” or “Homeland Safety” on them, and the title of their respective division is on both one or either side of their autos.
“When our heroic legislation enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly determine themselves as legislation enforcement whereas sporting masks to guard themselves from being focused by extremely subtle gangs like Tren de Aragua and MS-13, prison rings, murderers, and rapists,” mentioned Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of Homeland Safety.
So which immigration officers are in Los Angeles and what’s their objective right here?
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Have U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers been in Los Angeles? In the beginning of the month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers raided a style warehouse in downtown Los Angeles and arrested greater than 40 immigrant employees, sparking anti-immigration protests throughout the county.
What’s ICE’s mission? ICE, together with the company’s Enforcement and Removing Operations officers, determine, arrest, detain and take away immigrants with out authorization within the U.S., in response to the federal company’s web site.
ERO brokers goal public security threats, the web site states, similar to convicted prison undocumented immigrants, gang members and people who “illegally re-entered the nation after being eliminated and immigration fugitives ordered eliminated by federal immigration judges.”
Homeland Safety Investigations
Have Homeland Safety Investigations officers been in Los Angeles? Two months earlier than immigration officers started aggressive raids throughout Los Angeles, Homeland Safety Investigations officers took half in two separate arrests involving individuals suspected of being within the nation with out authorization.
In Might, HSI officers raided a nightclub and arrested 36 Chinese language and Taiwanese people there. The situation of the membership was not disclosed.
The officers have been additionally concerned in arresting 12 Mexican residents, suspected of being unlawfully within the U.S. after touring in a small boat from Mexico to Lengthy Seashore.
What’s HSI’s mission? HSI is an company inside the Division of Homeland Safety and a department inside Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Homeland Safety Investigations focuses on investigating crime “on a worldwide scale — at house, overseas and on-line,” in response to the Homeland Safety web site.
This division conducts federal prison investigations into the unlawful motion of individuals, items, cash, medicine, weapons, and unlawful know-how exports and mental property crime into and out of the US.
Officers additionally examine crimes similar to youngster exploitation, human trafficking, monetary fraud and scams.
For the file:
8:41 a.m. June 22, 2025An earlier model of this text incorrectly known as the U.S. Customs and Border Safety company the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and incorrectly described a number of the duties of the CBP and of the U.S. Border Patrol.
U.S. Customs and Border Safety
Have U.S. Customs and Border Safety officers been in Los Angeles? On Thursday, McLaughlin confirmed that CBP officers “arrested 30 unlawful aliens in Hollywood, California, and 9 unlawful aliens in San Fernando and Pacoima.”
In Hollywood, officers raided the parking zone of a Residence Depot the place laborers and meals distributors labored.
What’s CBP’s mission? U.S. Customs and Border Safety brokers are sometimes stationed at ports of entry similar to airports or land border crossings. Individually, U.S. Border Patrol brokers give attention to unlawful border crossings between ports of entry.
Border Patrol maintains site visitors checkpoints alongside highways main from border areas, conducting metropolis patrols, transportation checks and anti-smuggling operations, in response to its web site.
Border Patrol additionally screens worldwide boundaries and coastlines in areas of company jurisdiction to intercept unlawful entry and smuggling of unauthorized people into the U.S.
Border Patrol officers perform site visitors checks on main highways main away from the border to detect and apprehend entry of unauthorized people into the US and unlawful narcotics.
There are two different federal businesses on the streets:
Nationwide Guard
Officers vowed to ship at the least 2,000 Nationwide Guard troops to Los Angeles. To this point, they’ve primarily protected federal buildings.
It’s unclear what number of are actually on the bottom.
The ninth U.S. Circuit Courtroom of Appeals determined Thursday to go away troops in Los Angeles within the fingers of the Trump administration whereas California’s objections are litigated in federal court docket.
California officers argued the Nationwide Guard was not wanted.
U.S. Marines
The federal authorities has additionally deployed some U.S. Marines to Los Angeles.
The U.S. Northern Command, which oversees troops primarily based in the US, mentioned the Marines will work with Nationwide Guard troops beneath “Activity Drive 51” — the army’s designation of the Los Angeles forces. The Marines, just like the Guard, they mentioned, “have been educated in de-escalation, crowd management and guidelines for the usage of drive.”
Air Drive Gen. Gregory Guillot advised The Occasions earlier this month that the Marines in Los Angeles have been restricted of their authority, deployed solely to defend federal property and federal personnel. They don’t have arrest energy, he mentioned.
Native officers have additionally opposed having Marines in L.A.
