Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had a very active start to the year in Southern California, concentrating its operations in communities in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agents' objective Federal authorities are arresting undocumented immigrants with criminal records. However, activists denounced that workers without criminal records were also arrested in the raids. Just days after the New Year's holidays, agents from ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began deploying their operations in Southern California.