Overview

• Federal immigration agents continue to carry out masked raids in Southern California without notifying local police, causing widespread fear in Latino communities.
• Local law enforcement officials warn that unannounced operations create jurisdictional chaos and safety risks, citing a June 18 incident where a plainclothes agent drew a gun at pedestrians in Pasadena and a June 22 raid at a Torrance car wash.
• Federal agents are protected from Section 1983 civil lawsuits, unlike local police, limiting accountability for their use‐of‐force actions.
• Arrests of individuals impersonating ICE officers—most recently in Huntington Park—highlight how anonymity in enforcement enables criminals to exploit authority and endanger communities.
• State and federal lawmakers have introduced bills to ban masking by ICE agents and mandate visible identification to enhance public transparency and prevent safety incidents.