Federal immigration arrests in California have surged to record levels under President Donald Trump’s second term, even as the enforcement effort has drawn less public attention than large-scale workplace raids. New data analyzed by the University of California-affiliated Deportation Data Project and the San Francisco Chronicle show that Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested about 50,000 people in California from Jan. 20, 2025, through July 31, 2026.
That is more than four times the roughly 12,400 arrests in California during the 18 months before Trump returned to office. Nationwide, ICE made more than 564,000 arrests during the same period, and July was the busiest month so far in Trump’s second term, with about 50,000 arrests nationwide and 4,300 in California.
By city, San Diego recorded nearly 11,500 arrests, the most in California. The city’s total jumped from about 800 arrests in June to 1,500 in July. San Francisco had at least 2,440 arrests and ranked fourth among California cities. Enforcement has also continued in the Bay Area, including reported ICE activity at homes in Oakland.
When measured against the noncitizen population, El Centro near the southern border had the highest arrest rate in California at about 31,400 arrests per 100,000 noncitizens. The data suggests ICE has shifted from highly visible sweeps to broader, more dispersed enforcement in places such as courts, farms and other locations across the state.
