Statement From Immigrants Rising on the ICE Surge Operation in California

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (October 11, 2026) — ICE has launched a 45-day surge operation across California, with agents instructed to “go after anybody” as the administration pushes for 3,000 arrests a day—less than a month before the November 3 midterm election.

The operation reportedly began in San Diego and is expected to expand north toward the San Francisco Bay Area. Communities across the state have already seen an increase in ICE presence and arrests, including Los Angeles County, Fresno, Madera, Kerman, Santa Maria, and Stockton.

ICE and its immigration operations are harming all Californians. Painfully, these are tactics we have already seen even in our home state, when last year, ICE militarized against Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. Agents are abducting parents in front of their children at school, workers on their way to work and from their worksites, people attending their USCIS and immigration court appointments, and community members in public places, their neighborhoods, and shopping centers.

It is indisputable that ICE and the administration’s deportation agenda are making the nation unsafe. Neither does the public approve of them. Recent surveys show that 74 percent of Californians disapprove of what ICE is doing and seven out of ten people support designating public schools as sanctuary “safe zones” and keeping the immigration status of students and their family members confidential. Now more than ever, California’s leaders must step up boldly and defend community members—233,000 of whom are undocumented students and 220,000 undocumented entrepreneurs—from the federal government’s overreach and targeted terrorism.

Immigrants Rising denounces ICE, the administration’s immigration agenda, and the state-sanctioned violence and harm they represent. California is home to 2.9 million undocumented people. They are students, workers, business owners, taxpayers, and our neighbors. Immigrants Rising will continue supporting the undocumented community in California and beyond.

Rapid Response Hotlines:

Southern California (outside Los Angeles)
Los Angeles Area
Central Coast
Central Valley
  • Central Valley (Valley Watch Network): 559-206-0151
    • Covered Regions: Fresno, San Joaquin, Merced, Stanislaus, and Kern Counties
  • Kern County (Rapid Response Network of Kern): 661-432-2230
  • Sacramento & Northern California (NorCal Resist): 916-382-0256
    • Covered Regions: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Lake, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba Counties
San Francisco Bay Area
Northern California
  • Humboldt County (Centro del Pueblo): 707-200-8091
  • Mendocino County (MCRRN): 707-621-8220
  • Sacramento & Northern California (NorCal Resist): 916-382-0256
    • Covered Regions: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Lake, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba Counties

Ways Community Members can Support:

  • Check in on immigrant families you know. Offer mutual aid, including delivering groceries, running errands, giving children rides to school, or offering financial support.
  • Amplify updates, stories, and calls-to-action on social media and within your networks.
  • Contact local and state elected officials to advance legislation, policies, and budget investments that support undocumented immigrants.
  • Especially if you are a U.S. citizen, volunteer as a responder for your local Rapid Response Network (see list above).
  • Donate to immigrant rights organizations and mutual aid funds.

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Founded in 2006, Immigrants Rising transforms individuals and fuels broader changes. With resources and support, undocumented young people are able to get an education, pursue careers, and build a brighter future for themselves and their community. Our collective power is helping our nation edge closer to fulfilling its ideal as a land of opportunity and access for all.

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Loren Krane

Partner, Staff

"We as clinicians are not helpless or powerless. We can harness our energy and expertise to undo some of the damages done by this administration and its policies."