ICE has detained at least six people in five separate operations across the Westside this month, including repeated arrests at a federal immigration services office where immigrants report for government appointments. According to West Los Respuesta Rápida (WLRR), a local volunteer network that monitors and verifies ICE activity, federal agents carried out arrests on October 6, 23, 24, 25, and 29 in Mid-City Los Angeles and the Culver City area.
The arrests come amid a reported 45-day immigration enforcement surge across California, launched by the Trump administration in early October and expected to continue through the November 3 midterm elections. The operation, called “Operation Safe California,” began in San Diego before expanding across the state. According to federal sources, agents were instructed to “go after anybody,” including immigrants without criminal records. By October 8, L.A. TACO had documented at least 45 arrests across Southern California in the first days of the surge.
Three of the five operations documented by WLRR took place at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Application Support Center at 3747 South La Brea Avenue, where immigrants attend appointments for fingerprinting and other biometric services related to their immigration applications. On October 6, WLRR documented federal agents arriving at the facility in several vehicles, including a blue Ford Explorer and multiple Dodge Durangos. According to the network, two agents entered the office around 9 a.m. while a third remained outside. At approximately 10:15 a.m., additional vehicles arrived from the rear parking lot, and agents detained two people.
On October 23, agents returned to the same location. WLRR tracked a black Ford Explorer and a gray Ford Expedition through the surrounding neighborhood, beginning with a sighting near Blackwelder Street and Hauser Boulevard around 8:30 a.m. The vehicles were later spotted near Coliseum Street and Stevely Avenue before appearing at Coliseum and La Brea shortly before 10 a.m. One person was detained, and the vehicles departed by 10:10 a.m. WLRR later issued a public request for information about the detained individual, whose identity had not been established at the time of its report.
Less than a week later, on October 29, federal agents conducted another operation at the same USCIS office. At approximately 10:48 a.m., WLRR reported seven agents at the location, four wearing plainclothes and medical masks and three wearing green ICE vests and black face coverings. The agents arrived in a blue Ford Explorer and two Jeep Grand Cherokees without license plates. Two men were detained. WLRR published photographs showing the men being escorted by agents and appealed to community members for help identifying them and locating their families. The organization urged anyone whose loved one had visited the office and not returned home to contact its hotline.
People visiting the USCIS office are there to comply with the federal government’s own immigration procedures. Application Support Centers collect fingerprints and other biometric information from people pursuing immigration benefits. Missing a scheduled appointment can result in an application being denied. But showing up now carries serious risk, with federal agents repeatedly detaining people at the very office where the government requires them to appear.
The La Brea arrests are consistent with reports from elsewhere in Los Angeles during the current surge. LA Public Press reported that immigration advocates have documented arrests at immigration court appointments and federal offices where biometric information is collected. For people pursuing immigration relief, these tactics create a terrible choice: risk detention by attending a required appointment or jeopardize their case by staying home. <Cite ref=”turn581555search0″/>
ICE has also been making arrests closer to Mar Vista. On October 24, WLRR documented a targeted arrest near Washington Boulevard and Electric Drive in the Culver City area. The person detained was driving a blue Hyundai Elantra. A photograph shared by the network showed an agent standing beside the vehicle. The individual’s identity and the circumstances leading to the arrest were unknown, prompting WLRR to ask community members to contact its hotline if they had information about the person detained.
The following morning, October 25, agents carried out another operation at Culver Center, near Venice Boulevard and Overland Avenue. According to WLRR, approximately eight agents arrived in two black Chevrolet Tahoes without license plates and a silver Chevrolet Equinox. Some wore green vests marked “Police ICE,” while others wore plainclothes and masks. One person was detained before agents left the area. WLRR described the operation as a targeted arrest and reported that no federal agents remained at the location afterward.
WLRR has become an indispensable resource for Westside residents confronting ICE kidnappings. The volunteer-run network responds to reports of ICE activity, verifies sightings, and publishes bilingual alerts to warn residents when agents are operating nearby. Its volunteers also provide material support to families affected by detention and deportation, including groceries and emergency assistance. Much of what we know about this month’s arrests comes from volunteers who showed up to document what federal agents were doing.
Mar Vista Voice urges Westside residents to support WLRR. Start by joining its Telegram alert channel to receive updates about verified ICE activity. Save the WLRR hotline, (310) 513-5539, and share it with your neighbors so they know whom to contact if they witness an ICE raid or need help finding someone who has been detained. If you have time to contribute, sign up to volunteer. If you can afford to give, make a donation to support the network’s work and the families it assists.