ICE has begun an unannounced operation across California, known internally as Operation Safe California, that started several days earlier in and around San Diego and is expected to last at least 45 days, the Washington Examiner reported on October 7, 2026, citing sources familiar with the plan. ICE leadership told officers to arrest all undocumented immigrants they encounter regardless of criminal history, according to the sources. “Management want numbers,” one wrote in a text message; another said officers were “told to go after anybody, they can pick up anybody.”
The Daily Wire, citing Homeland Security sources, reported that more than 250 ICE officers had been deployed to Southern California for the effort, which one source called “all hands on deck.” No official document or announcement has been published. Gov. Gavin Newsom called it a “campaign of fear,” the Sacramento Bee reported. The operation runs into the November 3 election.