LA County Moves to Designate ‘ICE-Free’ Zones Following Violent Immigration Raids
After a spike in violent incidents involving agents involved in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, officials are looking to create “ICE-free” zones in LA County.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to bar immigration officials from county-held positions.
Lindsay Horvath, director of District 3, announced the proposal to designate the district as a “No US Immigration and Customs Enforcement” zone, preventing agents from staging, processing or operating in those areas.
“Los Angeles County will not allow its property to be used as a staging ground for the violence created by the Trump administration,” Horvath said at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
The proposal directs the district attorney to draft legislation to be considered by the board within 30 days.
The Times contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment but did not receive a response by publication.
From June 6, when immigration officials arrived in the region — raiding four businesses including a fast-track warehouse in downtown Los Angeles and making dozens of arrests — until the first month of 2026, Horvath said, “immigration enforcement in this country tends to increase in extreme violence.”
He said: “Our federal government is killing its citizens in broad daylight, without reason, in front of witnesses and cameras.”
This action comes after several incidents of violence in California and last week’s incident of the shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good in Minnesota, by a federal immigration agent, which caused an uproar across the country. Good, a mother of three, has been identified by federal officials as a domestic terrorist who attempted to carjack an agent. State and local officials in Minneapolis have denied those claims.
On Friday in Southern California, a 21-year-old protester underwent six hours of surgery after a Department of Homeland Security agent fired an unidentified round during a protest. The protester is shown in the video, his face covered in blood, being dragged by the neck by the agent. He suffered skull fractures over his eyes and nose and permanent loss of his left eye, according to family.
An off-duty ICE agent shot and killed Keith Porter Jr. at a Northridge apartment on New Year’s Eve. The officer suspected Porter of being an “active shooter,” according to Homeland Security. Porter was firing what appeared to be an assault rifle in what family members said was an act of celebration on New Year’s Eve.
“I think it’s very important that our communities understand that what we’re saying is, you don’t have the right to go in and harass people without a federal warrant,” said Hilda Solis, District 1 director and co-author with Horvath of the motion. “If [federal agents] use our property on stage, then you need to show us documents, a government warrant, to support that. “
Solis said he hopes that city councils and other areas will be encouraged to get their own legislation to create “ICE-free” zones.
Before President Trump took office in 2025, ICE agents were prohibited from making arrests and other law enforcement activities in sensitive areas, including places of worship, schools and hospitals.
Homeland Security Order effective Jan. 20, 2025, eliminated that practice, saying that officials taking law enforcement action in a sensitive area should use “discernment and a healthy measure of common sense.”
Bay Area officials are also considering adopting “ICE-free” zones. Alameda County officials presented a proposal for these designations in November; On Thursday, officials will file a response from the county sheriff, district attorney, earthquake department, and public defender, Oaklandside reports.
Chicago’s first “no ICE” zone ordinance was enacted in October barring immigration enforcement agents from city-owned or controlled territory.
