ICE launching 'Operation Safe California' crackdown starting in San Diego

Key Points:

• On Monday morning in Mira Mesa, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reportedly apprehended a man on his way to work, prompting community activist Arturo Gonzalez to monitor ICE activities and alert residents using social media and a megaphone.
• Gonzalez, who has been tracking ICE enforcement for nearly two years, noted a significant surge in ICE operations in the past week and a half, the largest he has witnessed since the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants.
• The Biden administration is reportedly launching a 45-day ICE enforcement surge starting in San Diego, targeting individuals regardless of criminal history, which has intensified fear within immigrant communities, according to immigration attorney Ian Seruelo.
• ICE agents are adopting new tactics such as wearing orange safety vests at construction sites and using less conspicuous vehicles to blend in and create a climate of fear among immigrants, causing people to avoid routine activities like taking children to school or grocery shopping.
• Both Gonzalez and Seruelo believe the timing of the enforcement surge near midterm elections is a deliberate tactic to intimidate immigrant voters and suppress turnout, with advice given to vulnerable individuals to carry a "red card" to assert their legal rights if stopped by ICE.