Community patrols and local nonprofits that work with immigrants have recently noticed an apparent increase in immigration enforcement activity throughout San Diego County, prompting Democratic lawmakers to call on the Trump administration for answers.
On Friday, following such reports, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla conducted an unannounced visit to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility inside the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building in downtown San Diego.
“Word on the street, and based on the volume of calls and outreach to my office, is that enforcement activity is up significantly in the region,” said Padilla.
Earlier this month, the Washington Examiner reported that ICE began a 45-day operation in California, including in San Diego, ahead of the midterm elections. According to the report, ICE instructed its agents to arrest any undocumented immigrant, regardless of whether they had a criminal history.
Community patrols that regularly monitor ICE activity in San Diego had noted heightened operations even before the Washington Examiner report.
ICE data provided to the Deportation Data Project via a public records request show that July saw the highest number of immigration arrests in the San Diego region in a single month under the second term of the Trump administration. But the most recent data available only goes through Aug. 6.
After his visit, Padilla said in a statement that he addressed the issue with federal officials, but that they “would not acknowledge or confirm such an operation exists and referred all questions about numbers to headquarters.”
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla arrives to conduct an unannounced oversight visit to the ICE detention holding facility inside the San Diego federal building Friday. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“But the reality on the ground is clear,” he added.
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement on Friday: “For operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations.
“Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country including in California,” the spokesperson added.
Padilla, alongside U.S. Sen. Adam B. Schiff and U.S. Reps. Scott Peters, Juan Vargas, Sara Jacobs and Mike Levin, all Democrats, expressed their concerns in a letter sent last week to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. They asked for confirmation of the reportedly named “Operation Safe California,” and wanted answers as to who was being targeted, how many agents were involved and the length of the surge, as well as whether there were directives to detain people near sensitive locations such as schools.
“San Diego in particular has witnessed a sharp increase in dangerous enforcement operations near schools,” the Oct. 16 letter reads. “As a result, we have received concerning reports from officials and families that students are now afraid to attend school.”
The letter mentioned recent reported incidents near schools, such as John Marshall Elementary School in Chollas Creek and San Diego City College.
The DHS spokesperson refuted the claim that ICE is targeting schools.
“ICE is not going to schools to arrest children — we are protecting children. Criminals are no longer able to hide in America’s schools to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Community patrols and activists have shared videos on social media about arrests in different San Diego County neighborhoods to let residents know what is happening in their area.
At a park in Linda Vista, Adriana Jasso places the magnetic door signage identifying their group, Unión del Barrio, on Sept. 2. The community patrol will drive through alleyways and large parking lots, as well as past nearby schools, searching for signs indicating that federal immigration agents are actively operating in the area. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / U-T file)
Adriana Jasso, a Unión del Barrio volunteer who regularly joins community patrols, said there has been a “notable increase” in ICE activity in different parts of the county, and added that the timing matches the timeframe reported by the Washington Examiner.
On Friday, San Diego Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, who is also running for Congress, said that her office got calls from constituents in Rancho Peñasquitos regarding two local workers who were detained by ICE during the week, their vehicles and tools left behind.
Citizen reports of ICE and Border Patrol activity sent to iceout.org, a nonprofit that tracks such movements, indicated an increased presence in the county this month. So far in October, as of Friday, the nonprofit received at least 44 reports of “critical” immigration enforcement activity that have been confirmed through trusted partners, such as nonprofits or rapid response networks. The group defines critical as arrests, detainments or raids. That’s compared to at least 29 during the entire month of September.
The reports are typically accompanied by photos or videos, some of which have been posted on social media. Several other non-confirmed reports have also flowed in, some merely noting the presence of patrolling ICE agents.
Local nonprofits have also sensed the uncertainty within immigrant communities.
The Pope Francis Center, an immigrant resource center run by the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Logan Heights, has received more requests for assistance from community members lately, said the Rev. Scott Santarosa.
The Rev. Scott Santarosa from Our Lady of Guadalupe stands in front of the Pope Francis Center in Logan Heights on Dec. 30, 2025. The center offers services to immigrants. (Alexandra Mendoza / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
He said that people are mostly looking for either legal help or information on what to do next when someone they know has been detained.
Frederick Carroll, legal director with the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties, said the organization has been hearing from community partners, people on the streets and families impacted by ICE’s operations. Carroll noted that many arrests occur while immigrants are on their way to work.
“Right now our biggest concerns are that this concentrated effort against our immigrant community is meant to instill fear,” he said.
“The time is especially key right now for people to know their rights so they can understand what is safe and what is risky and so that they can know where to go to get services if they are impacted by this federal immigration law enforcement,” he added.
Staff writer Kristina Davis contributed to this report.