ICE raids have paralyzed Los Angeles. Between June 6 and June 22, agents arrested 1,617 individuals across job sites, supply hubs, and residential blocks. Workers vanished from construction sites in Westlake and Boyle Heights. Retail fit-outs stalled. Remodels paused. Landscaping crews went missing across 14 neighborhoods. Developers report up to 80% attrition among subcontracted labor.
Street vendors at MacArthur Park say their sales collapsed. Average weekday income fell below $35. Weekend flow dropped 70%. Fourth of July booths didn’t show up. On July 5, only 11 stalls opened on Wilshire. LAPD reports loitering and noise complaints declined 68%. Not because conditions improved, but because vendors went underground.
Federal funding is flowing. ICE received $1.2 billion under Executive Directive 2065. Marines patrol federal buildings near downtown. Infrared drones and mobile holding units rolled out in late June. The federal raids coincide with the end of wildfire disaster funding. LA is now a primary target zone.
Florida’s new detention facility holds 5,000 beds. Officially operational. The build cost hit $450 million. Annual operating cost matches that. IRG Global Emergency Management won the contract. The firm split off from Access Restoration Services, which donated $6.2 million to Ron DeSantis since 2022. Construction bypassed all public review. No bid. No environmental study. Just fast-track clearance on seized Everglades airstrip land.
Trump and DeSantis toured the site on July 4 with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The facility is bordered by swamp, thermal towers, and 24-hour aerial drone sweeps. Florida is planning a second site near Ocala. That plan will use leftover military land and bypass standard procurement again.
In San Diego, 7,316 people have been detained so far this year. 94% had no criminal charges. Only 7% were convicted of violent crimes. Daily interior arrests increased from 32 in January to 453 in June. That spike matches expanded One Big Beautiful Bill enforcement authority. Local advocacy groups haven’t responded. State leaders are silent.
California lowered its growth projection to 1.4% for the year. That’s down from 3.7% in 2024. Los Angeles accounts for 27% of state labor output. Employers say they can’t find crews. Supply chains are locking up.
The arrests are public. The fallout is quiet. Detention networks are growing. Job sites are empty. The economy is slipping with each sweep.
Sources:
https://lataco.com/macarthur-park-ice-street-vendors
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/ice-detentions-criminal-convictions-data/3856326/