As federal agents conduct aggressive and deadly immigration raids across the U.S., CalMatters’ Wendy Fry and Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett report that their sweeps in San Diego have sent arrest numbers soaring and put residents on edge.
Between May through October 2025, immigration arrests in San Diego and Imperial counties increased by 1,500%, according to government data analyzed by CalMatters. In that time frame, federal agents arrested more than 4,500 people, compared to less than 300 in the same period the year before.
By September, the number of arrests in the two counties exceeded immigration arrests in the Los Angeles region — a much larger area that last summer President Donald Trump targeted and later sparked a high-profile dispute with California officials when he deployed the California National Guard.
Though some San Diego residents say the presence of immigration enforcement agents hasn’t reached the level of a federal siege yet, immigration advocacy groups are aware of the skyrocketing arrests. Arrests have taken place inside courthouses, Home Depot parking lots, nearby schools, neighborhood restaurants and more.
Arrest data also shows that agents are no longer focusing on people with criminal records: Only 25% of people arrested between May and mid-October had past criminal convictions. In the final year of former President Joe Biden’s term, that number in the same time frame was over 60%.
- Andrea Guerrero, the executive director of Alliance San Diego, a community human rights organization: “They’re just putting numbers on the board. And they’re doing so in a way that is not just irresponsible, but is inhumane.”
More on immigration: To curb immigration enforcement activity in California, Democratic state lawmakers are proposing a spate of new bills. L.A. Assemblymember Jessica Caloza on Tuesday introduced a measure that would ban rental car companies from renting vehicles to the U.S. States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
There are also bills to tax profits from immigration detention centers, keep ICE away from courthouses and more. Read more from CalMatters’ Cayla Mihalovich and Maya C. Miller.
Meeting Basic Needs: In California, a state of plenty, too many people struggle to access water, food and public safety. How do we fix that? Read innovative ideas from three experts, thanks to our partners at the UC Berkeley Possibility Lab, in the CalMatters Knowledge Hub.
Other Stories You Should Know
State employees push back against federal mandate
Employees at the California Department of Public Health must prove they are U.S. citizens by April 10 using a federal verification system — a directive that has received pushback from some employees and union members, writes CalMatters’ Khari Johnson.
New state health department employees already must prove their citizenship by completing a federal form. But the department is now asking them to enroll in E-Verify, a program administered partly by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Health department leaders said the verification of its 4,000 employees must be done to secure federal funding, according to a memo obtained by CalMatters. But amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, Service Employees Union International Local 1000, which represents roughly 3,000 department employees, has called this policy “unnecessary” and raised concerns about E-Verify’s accuracy and data protection.
Politician makes a big promise, who saw that coming?
Tom Steyer, a billionaire environmental activist and former hedge fund manager, is running for California governor and pledging to reduce residents’ electricity bills by 25%.
How realistic is that?
As CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang explains, in a state that has the second-highest electricity bills in the country, Steyer is running ads saying that “if we break up these monopolistic power utilities, we’ll drive down costs.”
But during a press conference this month, Steyer said he’s not actually arguing for “breaking up” major utilities. Instead, he wants to lower rates by forcing utilities to choose cheaper ways to protect their infrastructure from wildfires; enable neighborhoods to adopt solar energy more easily; and give customers more options for buying power.
Utilities experts, meanwhile, warn that increased competition wouldn’t necessarily lower customers’ bills. Garry South, a Democratic strategist who worked with former Gov. Gray Davis, is also skeptical. In the 1990s, the state took on an electricity deregulation endeavor that resulted in out-of-state companies buying power plants from utilities, manipulating the electricity supply and hiking up prices.
- South: “We’ve seen this movie before. It’s a foolhardy promise for any candidate to make.”
And lastly: Could fewer staircases boost housing in CA?
Culver City is the first city in the state to allow mid-rise apartment buildings with a single staircase. CalMatters’ Ben Christopher and video strategy director Robert Meeks have a video segment on why proponents say this move could speed up housing construction and lower costs, as part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.
SoCalMatters airs at 5:58 p.m. weekdays on PBS SoCal.
California Voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Two bills advanced through the Legislature this week that were mostly performative: One ICE-related proposal is likely unenforceable and another bill weakly addresses California’s housing crisis.
Labeling students from schools that serve high-need students as inherently less ready for college is misguided, and colleges should instead partner with K-12 schools to help dismantle barriers, writes Michal Kurlaender, UC Davis professor and faculty director of Policy Analysis for California Education.
Other things worth your time:
Newsom bets big on Trump’s goodwill to shrink CA’s budget hole // Politico
CA economy under threat as foreign-born population falls by 1.5M amid Trump policies. // Los Angeles Times
CA Republicans issue mixed and muted response to ICE shooting of Alex Pretti // The Sacramento Bee
How past ICE funding votes are reshaping CA’s race for governor // Los Angeles Times
CA bill would ban ICE agents from jobs in teaching and policing // San Francisco Chronicle
The cruel conditions of ICE’s California City detention center // The New Yorker
Who decides when a home is safe? A CA bill says science, not insurers // The New York Times
Trump, GOP leaders ramp up attacks over Palisades Fire as CA wildfire aid sits in limbo // San Francisco Chronicle
GOP gubernatorial candidate Hilton would extradite CA abortion doctor to Louisiana // KQED