‘Large scale’ immigration raid to hit Los Angeles soon, leaked internal documents show

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Sunday. I’m your host, Andrew J. Campa. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:

• Internal documents show L.A.-area ICE raid is scheduled.
• Who’s in charge of Palisades fire recovery?
• Here are 18 of the best spots in L.A. for wings on Super Bowl Sunday.
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper.

Early ICE immigration raids may pale in comparison to one scheduled for Los Angeles this month

Even before the Trump administration came to power, there were already U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement “raids” that made headlines in early January in Bakersfield and this week in Denver and Aurora, Colo.

Los Angeles County, home to more than 800,000 undocumented residents, according to USC’s Equity Research Institute, did not draw the early ire of ICE officials.

That, however, may be changing.

My colleagues James Queally and Brittny Mejia reported that federal law enforcement agents are planning a “large scale” immigration enforcement action by the end of the month, according to documents reviewed by The Times.

The purpose of such an action

Los Angeles is a city Trump repeatedly criticized throughout his multiple presidential campaigns.

The operation would be spearheaded by ICE and would focus on people who do not have legal status or who already have pending orders of removal, according to the document.

ICE did not respond to a request for comment.

Potential hurdles for ICE’s ability in carrying out a raid

A federal law enforcement source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said agents with the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles field offices are being called in to assist.

“They needed more bodies,” the official said.

A former federal law enforcement official, who said they had been informed about the recent preparations but spoke on the condition of anonymity fearing retaliation, also said FBI agents were being ordered to participate in pending ICE raids in Los Angeles. Neither official provided a date for the potential actions.

The active federal law enforcement official warned that plans could change due to the “chaotic” nature of the Trump administration’s first few weeks in power. There is also expected pushback from within some of the agencies that will be required to aid ICE.

What are local agencies saying about assisting?

ICE’s Enforcement Removal Operations in L.A. has posted regularly on X recently about people they’ve arrested, including a Mexican national convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, another wanted for murder in Mexico, a woman convicted of driving under the influence and an alleged Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang member.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller declined to comment on any upcoming large-scale operation, but said the agency has been assisting in immigration operations since the end of January.

Other federal agencies have been assisting ICE since last month, including the DEA and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The DEA L.A. last month posted on X that it had participated in an operation tied to immigration enforcement.

“When asked to support immigration enforcement actions, we will review the capabilities and shift resources as necessary to provide support,” Matthew Allen, who leads the agency’s L.A. office, said in a statement.

Ginger Colburn, a spokesperson for the ATF, said Friday in an email that the agency has been assisting the Department of Homeland Security and other federal law enforcement partners with immigration enforcement efforts in Southern California since Jan. 26.

“To ensure operational security and the safety of our agents and partners, ATF does not disclose details of enforcement activities,” Colburn said.

For more on the operation, check out the full article here.

The week’s biggest stories

(Carlin Stiehl/For The Times)

Questions about the Los Angeles fires

• Who’s in charge of Palisades fire recovery? The answer has gotten complicated.
• A month after L.A. firestorms, essential questions still haunt Southern California.
• Family of 100-year-old left behind after evacuation of Altadena senior home calls for ‘concrete change.’
• Scams, bidding wars and predatory landlords: One couple’s quest for housing after the fires.

Answers and action regarding the fires

• During fires, L.A. burn centers braced for crisis that never came.
• Finally we know where toxic ash from the L.A. wildfires could end up.
• State lawmakers respond to L.A. fires with bills to halt price gouging, help schools.
• Mayor Karen Bass taps Illinois consulting firm to support Palisades fire recovery.

The Super Bowl is here

• Why the Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl rematch could deliver a ratings record for Fox.
• LIX facts you need to know about the X Super Bowls staged in New Orleans.
• Super Bowl three-peat? Chiefs trying to make history alongside Lakers.
• Ken Norton Jr. is lone player to three-peat at Super Bowl. Will Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce join him?

Crime, courts and policing

• Immigration crackdown could deter workers from reporting hazards, advocates warn.
• Federal judge blocks Musk’s team from accessing sensitive Treasury material.
• San Francisco sues Trump administration over crackdown on sanctuary cities.
• Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco says deputies won’t conduct immigration enforcement.

More big stories

• Major atmospheric river storm is barreling toward California: ‘Prepare for the worst.’
• Teen stabbed after fight breaks out at L.A. protest against Trump’s immigration policies.
• ‘Buffy’ resurrected: Sarah Michelle Gellar promises fans a faithful reboot is underway.
• Missing commuter plane found crashed on Alaska sea ice; all 10 aboard dead, officials say.
• Kanye West goes on another antisemitic rant, defends Diddy, declares ‘dominion’ over wife.

Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here.

Column One

Column One is The Times’ home for narrative and long-form journalism. Here’s a great piece from this week:

A month after the first signs of smoke and flame, victims are still mourning the loss of small things, a snapshot or a teacup. Communities have been robbed of the parks and libraries and churches where they used to gather. The Times asked readers affected by the devastation to tell us about what they lost and what it meant to them. Their stories reflect a jumble of emotions that catastrophe inevitably leaves in its wake.

More great reads

• Column: Super Bowl sucker no more. Eagles will derail Chiefs three-peat in a beatdown.
• For Super Bowl broadcasters, game ‘boards’ are an indispensable booth secret.
• After the fires, job losses and deportation threats, L.A.’s migrant workers are under immense stress.
• Tom Brady played in 10 Super Bowls. The road to first one as a broadcaster has been challenging.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].

For your weekend

(Illustrations by Lindsey Made This; photograph by Chris Pizzello/Invision / AP)

Going out

• ☀️ From Brooklyn to the Eastside and now Westside, actress Meredith Hagner delivers her perfect Los Angeles Sunday Funday.
• 🥟 Here’s our review on this new SGV dumpling parlor for Kaifeng-style xiao long bao.
• 🎨 Artist David Hockney has a show in Palm Springs. You can visit their or his favorite L.A. haunts

Staying in

• 🏈 Here’s all the details you need for Super Bowl LIX: Start time, teams, how to watch and halftime show.
• 🥣 For those hosting a bash, consider these 8 dips to make for Super Bowl Sunday.
• 🥑 L.A. Times readers share their favorite guacamole recipes: Vinegar? Green onion? Minced pear?
• 🏀 Author Mike Sielski breaks down the history of the dunk in “Magic in the Air: The Myth, the Mystery and the Soul of the Slam Dunk.”
• 🧑‍🍳 Old Hollywood loved this celebrity chili. Everybody will love yours.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, Sudoku, word search and arcade games.

L.A. Affairs

Get wrapped up in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage.

(Jess Miller Draws)

They shared their first kiss while studying poetry in the foothills of the Rockies. “I’ll move anywhere with you,” she declared one year later. “Anywhere except L.A.” After a childhood on the suburban edges of a Midwestern prairie, she wanted big sky and mountains almost as much as she wanted him. But he won out, and they ended up here in his hometown. He had wooed her well. Now he wanted Los Angeles to seduce her. Would the love affair add a new partner or would Los Angeles prove to be a third wheel?

Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team

Andrew J. Campa, reporter
Carlos Lozano, news editor

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