Reports of federal immigration agents prowling neighborhoods across the Los Angeles area and parts of San Diego County on Thursday sent community observers scrambling, with volunteer watchers saying at least seven people were taken in encounters that included roadside stops and parking lot seizures. Rapid‑response teams and other community watchers described operations in Inland Empire suburbs, Ventura County and parts of San Diego County that left families racing to locate detained relatives and stoked fresh fear among day laborers, gardeners and street vendors who work outdoors.
Details compiled by community observers and published in a daily roundup describe seizures in Upland, Claremont, Oxnard and along Imperial Avenue in San Diego, including a gardener pulled from his work truck and multiple detentions in Oxnard, according to L.A. Taco. The outlet reports at least four known ICE vehicles staged at a cable‑airport parking lot in Upland, sightings near a Lowe’s, and an abandoned work truck found north of 18th on Euclid. L.A. Taco’s timeline places the reported encounters on Thursday, Dec. 11, and says rapid responders verified several of the takings on the ground.
State launches portal to collect evidence
California officials this month rolled out a dedicated online portal where members of the public can upload video, photos and other documentation of suspected misconduct by federal agents, the Attorney General’s office announced. Attorney General Rob Bonta described the tool as a way to “create a record of potential unlawful conduct by federal agents” and urged Californians to share evidence with the state, according to the California Department of Justice.
Legal backdrop: court limits and lawsuits
The surge in community reports comes against a shifting legal backdrop. A federal judge in Los Angeles issued orders this summer that restrict indiscriminate immigration sweeps and require access to counsel for people detained, after civil‑rights groups filed a class action alleging racial profiling, per NPR. Advocacy organizations say the new community filings, combined with the state portal, could help document patterns for potential litigation and oversight.
What witnesses documented
Volunteer watchers and rapid‑response teams documented masked agents, unmarked or “known ICE” vehicles and, in at least one instance near a Home Depot in San Diego, a vehicle with a Lyft sticker, according to L.A. Taco. Witnesses described agents approaching workers who were gathering for jobs or stopping people at intersections and in parking lots, and organizers say the documentation is meant to help families locate detained loved ones. Community groups say they plan to forward verified material to legal aid organizations and to the state portal in order to preserve evidence…