Federal Agents Prepare for Immigration Enforcement Action in Los Angeles

Federal law enforcement agents are planning to carry out a "large scale" immigration enforcement action in the Los Angeles area before the end of February, according to an internal government document reviewed by The Times.

The operation, which would be spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), will focus on people who do not have legal status in the country or who already have pending orders of removal, according to the document circulated among some federal law enforcement officials this week.

Although immigration operations have been ramped up across the country since President Trump took office, no sweeping actions have taken place in L.A., a city Trump repeatedly criticized during both his presidential campaigns.

ICE did not respond to a request for comment.

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 of the officials could provide an exact time frame 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 and expected pushback from within some agencies that will be required to aid ICE. "Just because certain information is being given doesn't mean it's the administration's plan, because they know some agents are going to be resistant," the official said.

Thousands have flocked to downtown Los Angeles in recent days to engage in demonstrations against Trump's mass deportation strategy. Protesters briefly blocked the 101 Freeway this week, and a person was stabbed during a fight near Spring Street on Friday afternoon.

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. "We're primarily a supportive role for these operations," she said.

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.

Trump's "border czar," Tom Homan, this week blamed the leak of an immigration operation in Aurora, Colo., as having reduced the number of arrests of Tren de Aragua gang members and other criminals.