A federal program aimed at addressing California’s sanctuary state policies has marked its first full year of operation, resulting in 362 individuals being transferred from county jails into federal custody, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. The initiative, known as Operation Guardian Angel, began in May 2025 and has issued a total of 769 federal arrest warrants since its launch.
How the program operates
The Central District of California covers Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, an area federal officials estimate is home to roughly 1.5 million people living in the country illegally, including some with felony records. The program was designed to work around state law that restricts local law enforcement from cooperating directly with federal immigration authorities. Under California’s Values Act, signed in 2017, state and local police are limited in their ability to assist federal immigration enforcement or use local resources to facilitate removals.
To navigate those restrictions, Operation Guardian Angel relies on federal arrest warrants issued for individuals already in local custody. Once a warrant is issued, county jails are legally required to transfer the individual to federal custody, regardless of state sanctuary policies.
The scope of federal charges involved
Of the 362 people transferred into federal custody over the past year, federal officials say 347 face charges related to illegal reentry into the United States following a prior removal, or other federal offenses. Additional charges cited in connection with the operation include unlawful firearm possession by a noncitizen or felon, using a firearm during drug trafficking or a violent crime, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Notable cases cited by officials
Federal officials highlighted several specific cases as part of the program’s first year results. One case involved a Long Beach man convicted of a sex offense involving a minor in 2023, who was removed to Mexico that same year before reentering the country and being convicted again for illegal reentry. Another case involved a San Luis Obispo man with a decades old rape conviction who had been removed from the country twice before his most recent arrest.
Officials also pointed to a Pasadena man with multiple prior removals and a lengthy record of robbery convictions, as well as a Santa Maria man with convictions spanning drug trafficking, domestic violence and other offenses. A separate case involved a Santa Ana man with a criminal history that included carjacking, who was arrested on drug charges last year.
A case tied to a fatal shooting
Among the incidents referenced in connection with the broader immigration enforcement debate was a February 2025 shooting in Inglewood, in which a man attempting to steal a catalytic converter shot and killed a resident who intervened. According to federal officials, the individual charged in that case had previously been removed from the country, had a prior vehicle theft conviction, and had been arrested multiple times in the two years leading up to the shooting. Officials say state law prevented local authorities from complying with an earlier federal detainer request involving that individual. The case remains pending at the state level, while federal charges related to illegal reentry and firearm possession have also been filed.
Part of a larger federal initiative
Operation Guardian Angel operates under the umbrella of a broader Justice Department initiative focused on immigration enforcement and organized crime. Federal officials describe the larger effort as aimed at addressing illegal immigration, targeting criminal organizations and improving public safety outcomes tied to violent crime, though the program has drawn scrutiny from critics of expanded federal immigration enforcement who argue such operations can strain trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement…