Federal immigration enforcement agents have pulled back from their staging area at the Coast Guard complex on Terminal Island in San Pedro, according to city officials and community monitors who have been watching the site for months. Volunteers who spent dawn after dawn logging vehicle movements say they finally feel a measure of relief, even as community leaders warn that the reprieve could be temporary and that enforcement activity has simply shifted to other parts of Los Angeles County.
As reported by Los Angeles Daily News, the Department of Homeland Security presence at the Terminal Island Coast Guard base was being demobilized on Friday. The outlet noted that a DHS spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the drawdown.
Terminal Island Had Been A Hub For Morning Deployments
Volunteers and advocates say Terminal Island had turned into a reliable launch point for multi-agency immigration sweeps starting in June, with agents rolling in before sunrise for short, targeted operations, according to The Guardian. That early-morning rhythm is what first tipped off Harbor Area Peace Patrols and allied groups, who began staking out vantage points to watch and record who and what was going in and out.
How Community Monitors Tracked Vehicles
Local monitors say they carefully documented makes, models, colors and license plates of vehicles leaving the complex, then pushed those details out on social channels and through rapid-response networks to alert workers and families, as LAist reported. Volunteers described setting alarms for the crack of dawn, pulling on high-visibility vests, and positioning themselves near the Vincent Thomas Bridge to catch sight of unmarked cars and SUVs streaming away from the federal facility.
City Officials Boosted Oversight Efforts
City leaders moved to layer in some official oversight on top of the grassroots monitoring. As MyNewsLA reported last year, Councilmember Tim McOsker introduced a motion urging Port Police to document federal enforcement activity and forward potential evidence to prosecutors. He has also publicly urged residents to focus on recording encounters with agents rather than confronting them directly.
McOsker told the Los Angeles Daily News that the agents’ withdrawal from Terminal Island reflected sustained community pressure, and he credited the Harbor Area Peace Patrol for its meticulous tracking of vehicle movements that he said helped spur the pullback. At the same time, he cautioned residents to stay alert, noting that immigration raids are still taking place elsewhere in L.A. County.
Why It Matters
The change on Terminal Island is a big deal locally but does not necessarily signal a broader slowdown in immigration enforcement. Federal operations across Los Angeles have continued, often shifting to quicker, less visible tactics that leave rapid-response volunteers with little time to mobilize, according to the Los Angeles Times. Legal challenges and court orders have put the brakes on some actions, but advocates argue that short, surprise sweeps still pose a serious threat to immigrant communities…