U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported approximately 5,500 individuals from California in the first seven months of 2025, marking a significant increase in deportations since President Donald Trump took office. This figure represents a 78% rise from the 3,000 deportations recorded between January and July 2024, according to a Chronicle analysis of data from the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley.
The data also reveals that more than 900 individuals opted for “voluntary departures,” choosing to leave the country instead of facing deportation proceedings. This is a stark increase from the 46 voluntary departures recorded during the same period in 2024. Despite the rise in deportations, the national number of ICE deportations, approximately 143,000 from January to July 2025, is about 14% lower than the same period last year.
While the Trump administration claims to target the “worst of the worst,” data shows that ICE has increasingly arrested immigrants without criminal records. About 1,500 deportations this year involved individuals without criminal charges, more than triple the figure from the previous year. ICE deportations of individuals with criminal convictions or charges also rose, but by a smaller margin of just over 50%.
ICE’s operations in California have sparked controversy and protests, particularly in Southern California, where raids have disrupted communities and affected the labor market. Immigrant advocates are preparing for similar scenarios in Northern California. Critics argue that ICE’s tactics, including arrests outside courtrooms, amount to racial profiling, while the Department of Homeland Security maintains that they are removing dangerous individuals from communities.
California officials are exploring legal avenues to resist ICE’s presence, despite a recent Supreme Court decision allowing federal immigration agents to make arrests based on appearance and language. The situation in Northern California is expected to mirror that of Los Angeles, with increased ICE activity anticipated in the coming months.
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