It was a Saturday morning in Long Beach when the hum of daily life at Bixby Knoll’s Car Wash was shattered by the sudden arrival of four dark-colored SUVs. Masked federal agents in tactical vests moved swiftly, blocking all exits and entrances. Within moments, seven workers—hailing from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico—were detained in a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) immigration raid that left witnesses shaken. One woman, as she was being escorted to an SUV, appeared to faint and collapse, prompting bystanders to plead for medical help. "The most striking thing for me was a woman probably my mother’s age running with her work tools being chased by a young ICE agent, running for her life," a witness told KTLA. "It was just very impactful for me."
The Long Beach raid, which occurred around 10 a.m. on September 13, 2025, is only the latest in a series of aggressive immigration enforcement actions sweeping across Southern California. Just a week earlier, the United States Supreme Court had given the Trump administration the green light to temporarily resume broad immigration operations in Los Angeles and seven neighboring counties. According to NBC News, more than 58,000 undocumented immigrants have been taken into custody nationwide since Trump took office. Of those, about 30% had criminal convictions, 25% had pending charges, and the remaining 45% were categorized as “other immigration violator,” with 11% fast-tracked for deportation.
What’s striking in this new era of enforcement is the breadth of those being swept up. Reports have surfaced of American citizens and lawful permanent residents being detained, sometimes with little explanation. In one recent case outside a Van Nuys Mexican restaurant, masked agents shattered a car window and detained two men—both reportedly green card holders—as well as a pregnant U.S. citizen who was later released. Critics argue that the administration’s tactics are indiscriminate, ensnaring people with no criminal history and destabilizing families and communities.
The Department of Homeland Security, however, remains resolute. In a statement to KTLA, a spokesperson said, "U.S. Border Patrol conducted a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Long Beach, California, that resulted in the arrest of 7 illegal aliens from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico who have broken our nation’s immigration laws. Illegal aliens can take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right, legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return."
These enforcement actions are not limited to workplaces and city streets. California’s largest immigration detention center—a sprawling, 2,560-bed facility in California City, Kern County—opened quietly in late August 2025. By September 9, the site had already filled with over 500 detainees, according to California City officials. The facility, operated by the Tennessee-based private prison company CoreCivic, began receiving transfers from other Kern County detention centers even though its city permits and hearings had not been completed. This move has drawn sharp criticism from local advocates and community groups, who accuse CoreCivic of flouting state and municipal laws in the rush to accommodate the federal government’s push for mass deportations.
Jeannie Parent, a coordinator with Kern Welcoming and Extending Solidarity to Immigrants, told The Bee, "I’m getting multiple calls a day from guys inside." She described chaotic conditions, with staff working 16 to 18 hour shifts, delays in detainees receiving medication for high blood pressure and psychiatric conditions, and reports that transferred detainees had their personal hygiene products thrown away. Parent’s concerns were echoed by other advocacy groups, who argue that the city has failed to enforce its own codes and has not been transparent about the facility’s reopening.
California City Mayor Marquette Hawkins, who toured the facility on September 9, offered a different perspective. "From what I saw, the conditions look humane," he said. However, Hawkins acknowledged that the permitting process was incomplete and that he had only learned of the facility’s opening from an immigration lawyer. Hawkins added that the project is expected to bring hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue to the city, though he admitted the city council had faced difficulties in addressing the issue due to recent resignations and absences. "The fact that they [CoreCivic] opened—that’s on them," Hawkins stated.
CoreCivic, for its part, insists that all federal standards are being met and that medical care is available around the clock. Ryan Gustin, the company’s senior director of public affairs, stated, "All our facilities operate with a significant amount of oversight and accountability, including being monitored by federal officials on a daily basis, to ensure an appropriate standard of living and care for every individual." Gustin also said that any delays in prescription medications due to transfers had been resolved and that staff received over six weeks of cumulative training before working within the facility.
Yet, the controversy over the California City detention center is only one facet of a broader debate about the human impact of stepped-up immigration enforcement. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the case of Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old grandmother detained by ICE after attending a routine immigration appointment in San Francisco. Kaur, who immigrated from India in 1992, has been checking in with ICE every six months for over 13 years after her asylum claim was denied. Despite assurances from ICE that she could remain under supervision, she was taken into custody and is now being held in Bakersfield, California.
Kaur’s detention has sparked outrage and a petition with more than 10,000 signatures calling for her release. Her family and advocates argue that her age and health conditions—including thyroid disease, migraines, knee pain, and anxiety—make detention especially dangerous. "At her age and with serious health issues like thyroid disease, migraines, knee pain, and anxiety, detention puts her life at risk. She has never refused to return to India, but cannot without documents," reads a statement from the Bring Harjit Home campaign. Her daughter-in-law, Manjit Kaur, told ABC7, "It's been a total nightmare to find out she's been detained. We didn't expect it. She's been doing ICE check-ins for 13 years."
California Democratic Representative John Garamendi voiced his criticism: "President Trump initially promised to go after the 'worst of the worst' in his immigration policy. Yet this administration's decision to detain a 73-year-old woman—a respected member of the community with no criminal record who has faithfully reported to ICE every six months for more than 13 years is one more example of the misplaced priorities of Trump's immigration enforcement. Our office will do everything possible to support her case and her family."
As the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues, the stories emerging from California—of workplace raids, controversial detention centers, and the detention of elderly community members—highlight the human cost and legal complexities of current policies. For many, the debate is not just about law and order, but about the values and priorities that shape the nation’s approach to immigration.
