Working-class Latinos among the most targeted for immigration enforcement, data shows

Heavily Latino-populated areas in the San Fernando Valley, South Central Los Angeles, as well as  Southeast Los Angeles, which include Norwalk, Bellflower, Downey and South Gate, were among the regions with the most immigration enforcement activity since June 6, 2025, according to a study by an immigration nonprofit organization.

This week, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) released an analysis of recent immigration enforcement activities in Los Angeles County. 

The map, as explained by the immigrant rights organization, geographically tracks military federal immigration enforcement operations using a heat map.

The data shows that the operations disproportionately targeted working-class Latino communities and confirmed the racial profiling tactics used to detain people without a warrant and in plain sight in places like Home Depot, car washes and bus stops. 

“The blatant racial profiling by the [Donald] Trump administration is clearly visible in this map,” said Angelica Salas, executive director for CHIRLA. “Areas where people of color live and work, which also include major Latino hubs, were racially profiled and targeted.  

There were 471 confirmed immigration enforcement actions reported to the L.A. Rapid Response Network (LARRN) between June 6 and July 20, which is represented on the map known as the "Areas of Focus for Federal Enforcement Activity."  

The top zip codes with the highest number of reported cases include 91402 part of the San Fernando Valley, with 22 actions, followed by 90660 part of the City of Pico Rivera, with 18 detected actions; 90026 in the Silver Lake-Echo Park communities with 15 reported actions; the 90201 area code in Bell Gardens, with 14 actions; and 90028 in Hollywood with 9 actions. 

Eight actions were found on the map in South L.A. (90011), Pico Union, and Downtown Los Angeles (90015). Little Tokyo, Glassell Park and South Gate all had seven reported actions. 

CHIRLA also reported that they received a total of 1,677 calls of enforcement activities throughout the region, with nearly 1,500 of these reports mentioning armed agents being present during the operation and 389 of them mentioning witnessing “random arrests” of community members.

Trained first responders documented a variety of observations, including operations involving multiple agents and suspected detentions, activity near schools, parks, and residential intersections and various agents driving unmarked vans while dressed plainly. 

The organization also reported that while the communities' descriptions of agents, sightings, or operations were detailed, few submissions included visual documentation like photos or video, which made verification of the exact agency more difficult. 

At the beginning of the month, CHIRLA, along with other organizations including the Los Angeles Worker Center Network, United Farm Workers (UFW) and Immigrant Defenders Law Center, filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for unlawful arrest and abductions in the immigration raids that, since then, had been a daily reality in the L.A. area. 

The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court, alleges that DHS has unconstitutionally arrested and detained people in order to meet arbitrary arrest quotas.

“This military federal immigration enforcement operation was a surgical attack meant to provoke panic and confusion and unleash terror in our neighborhoods,” Salas said.

To view the full map, click here.