Federal Operation Seizes Hundreds of Re-Entry Criminal Migrants Across Southern California

Operation Guardian Angel, coordinated by U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, targets illegal migrants who have been removed and later re-entered the United States, adding fresh federal charges so ICE can detain them before release. Agents surged from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office at the Roybal Federal Building to the Twin Towers jail in downtown Los Angeles, apprehending seven repeat offenders, among them a convicted child molester, a man with a 1995 rape conviction, and a suspect in a 2025 homicide.

All had prior deportations and faced felony re-entry counts, with several also charged with additional federal crimes. The initiative operates in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and has already taken 362 previously deported migrants into federal custody. ICE officials argue the operation neutralizes California’s sanctuary policies that block local compliance with immigration detainers. Detainees expressed divergent sentiments, with some eager to return to Mexico and others fearing cartel retaliation.