During the last days of 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 118 undocumented immigrants in California. According to federal officials, it was a targeted operation in the state, and the agency aimed to detain undocumented immigrants with serious criminal records.
The six-day operation ran from December 26 to December 31, 2025, and it took place in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties on the central coast of California.
According to DHS, the sweep focused on arresting individuals with a range of convictions. These included sexual assaults against children, home invasions, domestic violence, a series of DUIs, etc.
ICE nabs 118 illegal immigrants with twisted rap sheets in California sweeps: ‘Worst of the worst’ https://t.co/is9qC5Vgwp pic.twitter.com/16xkHBG4hf
— New York Post (@nypost) January 6, 2026
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin has described these efforts of arresting such criminals as targeting “the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens” in the United States.
Among those who have been arrested are several registered s-x offenders, including Mexican nationals Juan Perez Tello and Rogelio Sanchez Hidalgo. Both of these men have previously been convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14. Others who have been arrested also have charges like battery, assault with a deadly weapon, domestic abuse, and false imprisonment on their charge sheet.
Federal officials have characterized these arrests as a part of a broader effort to improve public safety. They have called the removal of these individuals with dangerous criminal histories a necessity for the betterment of communities.
California has long had ‘sanctuary’ policies. Under these policies, there is limited local cooperation with federal agencies, and DHS has called this operation a response to such policies.
McLaughlin criticized state and local leaders, asserting that criminals and immigrants with criminal histories take advantage of California’s policies, which makes it easier for them to evade law enforcement and repeat their offenses.
“Criminal illegal aliens flock to California because they know Governor Newsom and his fellow sanctuary politicians will allow them to terrorize innocent American families,” she said. She also added that federal authorities will continue such raids and actions in 2026.
However, not everyone has supported these ICE raids. Immigrant rights advocates and several community leaders have called these operations illegal and unethical.
Critics argue that such operations are meant to sow fear in the immigrant communities, and more often than not, individuals with no criminal history become collateral damage.
In the past, when federal authorities made such enforcement efforts, it was discovered by independent reporting that several of the detainees had no criminal convictions and were caught simply for being undocumented.
🚨BREAKING: ICE arrests 101 illegal alien truckers in California, confiscates their driver’s licenses
Arrest those who have them out.
pic.twitter.com/m3FJztBcCx
— Jack (@jackunheard) December 23, 2025
The ICE arrests in California are part of the operations undertaken by federal authorities. DHS has reportedly arrested thousands of immigrants as part of their push to detain and deport non-citizens with criminal histories. In reality, thousands of regular people, including those who were participating in the legal route of getting their documents, were also caught and detained.
Families have been torn apart. DHS and ICE have arrested individuals at courthouses while families were in the midst of their citizenship hearing.
The debate over immigration policy and federal enforcement continues on both state and national stages. With it, the tension in communities has increased tenfold, and so has the severe backlash.
