The nation is in an uproar over the recent surge of federal agents in Minneapolis, but here's where it gets controversial: immigration operations continue to thrive across the US, albeit in more discreet and unsettling ways.
In recent weeks, we've seen day laborers arrested at a Home Depot in San Diego, a taco truck vendor chased down outside a church in Los Angeles, and immigrants detained during traffic stops in Washington DC. These incidents have sparked fear and disrupted daily life, with people hesitant to go to work, school, or even medical appointments.
And this is the part most people miss: even in cities that have experienced their own immigration crackdowns, the raids and arrests haven't stopped. In southern California, for instance, under-the-radar arrests have been happening at an alarming rate.
Los Angeles, which experienced massive immigration raids last summer, continues to see a steady stream of arrests. The Immigrant Defenders Law Center, a non-profit based in LA, has reported a spike in calls to their legal resource hotline, with each call representing a recent detainee.
"There's less coverage of what's happening in LA, but the truth is, we haven't seen the number of arrests drop," said Yliana Johansen-Méndez, the law center's chief program officer.
What's changed, experts say, is the speed at which ICE is making these arrests. Earlier in 2025, ICE agents would set up in one location for an extended period, but now, it's more like a "smash and grab." ICE arrests often begin and end within minutes, making it difficult for responders, protesters, or attorneys to intervene.
In San Diego, the speed of arrests is also on the rise. When ICE agents detained a dozen people near a Home Depot in late December, witnesses said the entire operation took just five minutes.
Portland, Oregon, has also been on edge since Trump attempted to deploy the national guard to quell demonstrations outside an ICE facility. While immigration operations have declined since their peak last year, the fear remains palpable.
"The impact on vulnerable immigrants is profound," said Alyssa Walker Keller, a coordinator for a statewide hotline. "It's a sense of being hunted."
In Charlotte, North Carolina, a major operation in November saw Customs and Border Protection arrest dozens of people. While the street corner arrests have mostly stopped, driving remains anxiety-provoking for undocumented motorists, who are often targeted in work vehicles.
In Washington DC, it's been six months since Donald Trump ordered federal law enforcement onto the streets, ostensibly to fight crime. Data indicates that immigration arrests surged immediately after the deployment, then declined as Trump's attention shifted to other cities. But the impacts linger, with mutual aid networks reporting a steep increase in demand for legal referrals and grocery deliveries.
"All these people are now in detention or have been deported, and their families are suffering the consequences," said Madhvi Bahl, a core organizer of the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network.
In San Diego, tactics seem to be changing within the federal courthouse. Arrests are now commonly taking place out of sight, in private rooms where ICE "check-ins" are held, rather than in the hallways outside courtrooms.
Father Scott Santarosa, a Jesuit pastor in San Diego, helps run a program called Faith, which trains volunteers to accompany and pray with immigrants at their immigration hearings. But in recent weeks, there's been a greater tension in the courthouse atmosphere, with many new ICE agents being trained on the upper floors.
"It feels like the new recruits are trained to see us as the enemy," Santarosa said.
So, while the public's attention is focused on Minneapolis, immigration operations continue to thrive quietly across the US, leaving communities in a state of fear and uncertainty.
