Immigration arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement increased by nearly 1,500% in San Diego and Imperial counties between May and October of last year, according to government data analyzed by CalMatters.
San Diego Immigration Arrest Surge Details
Government data analyzed by CalMatters show that federal immigration agents arrested more than 4,500 people between May and October of 2025, compared to fewer than 300 individuals during the same period the previous year. By September, arrest figures in the two southern border counties surpassed totals recorded in the Los Angeles territory, which had been the focus of a high-profile federal enforcement crackdown that summer.
In September and October alone, federal officers executed more than twice as many arrests in the San Diego region as they did across the entirety of 2024. Activists such as Patrick Corrigan, a volunteer monitoring ICE activity at the San Diego federal courthouse, told CalMatters that local community members feel the temperature rising as enforcement actions intensify.
Tactics and Community Response
Federal agents have conducted operations in varied public locations across the region, including downtown courthouse hallways, Home Depot parking lots in Encinitas, National City, and San Marcos, near public schools, and at a neighborhood restaurant in San Diego’s South Park neighborhood, according to CalMatters. Critics and human rights organizations argue that executing arrests during mandatory check-ins and court appearances creates a deportation trap that undermines due process rights.
Andrea Guerrero, executive director of Alliance San Diego, told CalMatters that agents are simply putting numbers on the board. Meanwhile, community patrols like Unión del Barrio have mobilized in neighborhoods such as Linda Vista to monitor enforcement activity and alert residents to the presence of ICE agents.
Future Enforcement Outlook
White House “border czar” Tom Homan visited the San Diego border in December alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott. Homan warned during the visit that enforcement operations will expand significantly, stating that sanctuary cities with policies limiting local law enforcement cooperation with federal officers—such as San Diego and Chula Vista—will experience an increase in non-criminal arrests because agents will be deployed directly into communities.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson declined to comment to CalMatters regarding whether additional high-profile operations are scheduled for the San Diego area, and Border Patrol spokesman David Kim stated that the agency cannot confirm future operations.
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