More than 5,000 undocumented immigrants have been arrested in the Los Angeles area since raids intensified on June 6, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

According to the secretary DHS Chief Kristi Noem said the arrests from the Southern California operations are just the beginning of federal efforts to increase the number of undocumented immigrants for deportation.

DHS highlighted the arrests of immigrants from several countries with criminal records for violent offenses, although, according to department data, most of those detained had no criminal record, except for not having papers to prove their legal stay in the United States.