A year after ICE swept L.A., fewer raids but harsher rules squeeze immigrants nationwide - Los Angeles Times

Trump Administration Shifts Immigration Enforcement Approach One Year After Los Angeles Operations

WASHINGTON — One year after federal agents conducted large-scale immigration enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area, the Trump administration has reduced the frequency of high-profile raids while expanding regulatory measures affecting work authorization, visa processing, and benefit eligibility for both undocumented and lawfully present immigrants.

Agency data show Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests averaged about 1,000 per day in early March, down from a peak of just under 1,400 per day in mid-January. Detention numbers fell to roughly 60,000 in April from more than 70,000 in late January. Administration officials have stated these figures reflect a sustained focus on individuals with criminal convictions rather than a reduction in overall effort.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the president’s priority remains the removal of immigrants with criminal records. The Department of Homeland Security described its approach as favoring immigration that supports the country’s financial, social, and cultural needs. DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis stated that enforcement has continued without slowdown since the start of the term.

Arrest Trends and Administration Response

Tom Homan, the White House official overseeing border policy, indicated at a conference last month that more intensive enforcement actions could occur in the future. Federal immigration court data analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse show more than 90,000 grants of voluntary departure since the administration began. Voluntary departure allows individuals to leave without a formal removal order and preserves some future legal reentry options.

Critics of the pace of removals, including Mike Howell of the Mass Deportation Coalition, have called for increased workplace enforcement to raise arrest totals. Howell attributed the current level of activity partly to decisions balancing enforcement goals with other interests.

Visa Processing Changes

In May, the Department of Homeland Security directed most applicants for lawful permanent residency to complete their processing outside the United States, with exceptions for extraordinary circumstances. After public response, officials clarified that the change would not block qualified applicants from obtaining green cards.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services increased security screening for pending cases. The agency cited fraud prevention as the reason. A federal judge later vacated a related policy that had paused processing for applicants from 39 countries, describing the national security rationale as insufficient in the ruling.

The administration also suspended immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries. Immigration researcher David Bier of the Cato Institute estimated these combined restrictions affect approximately half of legal immigration inflows, with documented declines in student, employment-based, and refugee visas.

Work Authorization and Asylum Procedures

New regulations require asylum applicants who entered legally to pay an annual $102 fee within 30 days of notification or face rejection of their application without appeal. Separate proposals would limit or eliminate work permits for asylum seekers and certain other categories.

Conchita Cruz of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project said many applicants have not received the required notices and expressed concern that the rules could remove people from both the asylum process and the workforce. Asylum is a statutory right, while programs such as Temporary Protected Status remain subject to executive discretion.

During a House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Rep. Lou Correa asked DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to expedite work permit renewals for two police officers whose DACA status had lapsed. Mullin agreed to review the cases but noted that Congress would need to enact a permanent solution. Rep. Gabe Evans raised similar concerns about delays affecting farm workers, nurses, and other long-term legal residents in his district.

Mullin assumed the DHS role in March after the departure of his predecessor. He rescinded certain prior directives, including instructions allowing warrantless home entries and some contracted operations.

Individual Cases and Broader Effects

Immigrants have reported difficulties obtaining or renewing employment authorization. One Iranian national with a pending employment-based green card application described accumulating debt after a research grant could not proceed without work authorization. USCIS has not issued public data breaking down approval rates by nationality or visa category under the current screening standards.

The administration has maintained that enforcement targets criminal noncitizens first while using available legal authorities to manage overall immigration levels. Data released by DHS continue to show interior enforcement activity, though at lower daily arrest averages than the January peak.

Policy Context

The Secure America Act, signed earlier this year, allocated $70 billion for enforcement and border infrastructure. Officials have described the combination of physical removals, voluntary departures, and regulatory restrictions as elements of a single strategy to reduce unlawful presence and control legal inflows.

Reporting on these developments draws from agency statistics, court records, congressional testimony, and statements by administration spokespeople and outside analysts.