ICE arrests hit record number in Trump’s second term
<<<HEADLINE/DESCRIPTION>>>
Headline: ICE arrests hit record number in Trump’s second term
Description: First, ICE arrests hit a record number in July, both on a national level and here locally. Then, more than a year after it was first signed into law, we take a look into the impact of the Laken Riley Act. Next, abuse allegations against the county’s juvenile institutions are beginning to pile up. Also, members of the San Diego based USS Theodore Roosevelt are being told to plan for a longer deployment.
<<<HEADLINES>>>
Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s MONDAY, AUGUST 31ST>>>> [ ON BOTH A NATIONAL LEVEL AND HERE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, ICE ARRESTS ARE AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH ]More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
LOCAL DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT PETERS SAYS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S VACCINE RECOMMENDATIONS AND PROPOSED CHANGES TO HEADSTART THREATEN CHILDREN’S HEALTH
EARLIER THIS MONTH, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY ROBERT F KENNEDY PROPOSED RULE CHANGES TO HEAD START, THE NATION’S EARLY EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES
THE PROPOSED CHANGES WOULD ALLOW STATE’S TO SET THEIR OWN GUIDELINES AROUND THINGS LIKE STUDENT-TEACHER RATIOS AND STAFF QUALIFICATIONS
PRESIDENT TRUMP ALSO SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER EARLIER THIS MONTH THAT CHANGES VACCINE SCHEDULES FOR CHILDREN
THE WHITE HOUSE’S RECOMMENDATIONS PROTECT CHILDREN AGAINST 11 DISEASES INSTEAD OF 17; THE AMOUNT RECOMMENDED BY MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS
########
FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS …
THAT’S WHAT THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY EXPECTS TO GENERATE FROM THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF THEIR AGREEMENT WITH BURBANK
THE LONG-TERM DEAL ALLOWS BURBANK TO PURCHASE UP TO FIVE THOUSAND ACRE-FEET OF WATER ANNUALLY FROM THE AGENCY
WATER AUTHORITY OFFICIALS SAY THE AGENCIES WILL BE ABLE TO SHARE THE WATER WITHOUT NEW PIPELINES BEING BUILT …
ADDING THAT THE EXPECTED REVENUE FROM THE AGREEMENT WILL HELP OFFSET COSTS MADE OVER THE LAST THREE DECADES TO IMPROVE WATER SUPPLY RELIABILITY
THIS IS THE WATER AUTHORITY’S THIRD DEAL TO SELL WATER THIS YEAR
########
‘OPERATION LAST CALL’ LAUNCHED THIS PAST WEEKEND IN THE GASLAMP QUARTER
SD-PD SAYS THE OPERATION LOOKS TO RESTORE ORDER AND ADDRESS PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY ESCALATE INTO VIOLENCE
SD-PD SAYS THE OPERATION WILL CONTINUE UNTIL A NOTABLE REDUCTION IN VIOLENCE AND ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR IS SEEN IN THE GASLAMP QUARTER
THE CITY SAYS THAT IN 20-25 THE GASLAMP QUARTER RECORDED THREE TIMES THE NUMBER OF DISORDERLY CONDUCT CASES OF PACIFIC BEACH; ANOTHER SAN DIEGO NIGHTLIFE HUB…
LATE NIGHT PARTY-GOERS SHOULD EXPECT TO SEE MORE OFFICERS AND STRICT ENFORCEMENT OF PUBLIC CONSUMPTION OR DISORDERLY CONDUCT LAWS
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
<<<UNDERWRITING BREAK>>
######
<<<MUSIC BUMP INTO A BLOCK>>
##########
ICE ARRESTS JUMPED TO A NEW HIGH FOR PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S SECOND TERM IN JULY. BOTH NATIONALLY AND IN SAN DIEGO.
THAT’S ACCORDING TO RECENT DATA RELEASED FROM U-C-L-A AND U-C BERKELEY.
K-P-B-S INVESTIGATIVE BORDER REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS HAS BEEN GOING THROUGH THE DATA.
ICE 1A (roundtable) TRT 0:15
“The growth is on the backs of people with no criminal convictions. Beyond that, we've broken it down by nationalities. And obviously, the big one is Mexican nationals, Guatemala nationals, but it impacts people from all over the world um who are residing here in San Diego and Imperial County.”
SOLIS SAYS THERE’S ALSO BEEN AN INCREASE IN ARRESTS OF HAITIAN NATIONALS. THEIR TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS ENDED JUST OVER A MONTH AGO.
HE SAYS WHILE ICE ARRESTS HAVE INCREASED, FUNDING HAS GONE DOWN TO HELP THOSE DETAINED SECURE LEGAL REPRESENTATION.
ICE 1B (roundtable) TRT 0:17
“But this increase in enforcement, increase in arrest coincides with a decrease in federal funding for services aimed to mitigate the negative impacts of those arrests, right? So we're seeing higher demand for immigration attorneys and social services at a time where there is less funding for immigration attorneys and social services.”
TO LOOK AT THE DATA GO TO K-P-B-S DOT ORG.
########## NO MUSIC
REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS ALSO EXPLORED THE IMPACTS OF THE LAKEN RILEY ACT MORE THAN A YEAR AFTER TRUMP SIGNED IT INTO LAW.
LAKENRILEY (gs) 4:28 SOQ
__________________________________________________________________
The first bill that Trump signed into law this term was a bi-partisan law targeting immigrants without legal status.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEQfBs59G3k 7:29“In a few moments, the Laken Riley Act will become the first bill that I proudly sign into law as the 47th president of the United States.”
The law was named after a college student who was murdered by an undocumented immigrant. It requires mandatory detention for immigrants who are accused of certain crimes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEQfBs59G3k 12:05“Under the law I’m signing today, the Department of Homeland Security will be required to detain all illegal aliens who have been arrested for theft, burglary, larceny, shoplifting, assaulting a police officer or any crime that results in death.”
Thirteen Democratic Senators and 46 Democrats in the House voted for the act. Including San Diego Congressman Mike Levin.
Levin justified his vote by citing an increase in retail thefts in his North County district.
But civil rights organizations said the new law would deny people due process protections. Because Laken Riley imposes mandatory detention of people after an arrest … even if they aren’t charged or convicted.
After his vote in 2025, Levin said he did not believe the law took away due process protections or targeted innocent immigrants.
But immigration lawyers say that’s what happened.
CARLOS 00:03:21:07“And in that respect, Laken Riley has been a problem because a basic arrest is enough. Even if the person wasn’t convicted. I thought it was absurd when I heard this was on the table and then I thought it was incredibly absurd when people voted for it.”
That’s Carlos Barrios – an immigration lawyer based in Los Angeles.
He represented a man who was arrested for receiving stolen property. A county judge dismissed his case in criminal court. But that didn’t matter in immigration court – where a judge used the Laken Riley Act as justification to keep him locked up.
CARLOS 00:05:46:05“But it became a major issue that this person was delayed and stuck in jail for a month and a half. This person owns his own business, now he’s at risk of losing everything because he had to shut down the business for a month and a half. Bills had to be paid. They’re backed up on their mortgage payments and everything else. It creates a major impact.”
According to data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement - there are currently more than 65,000 people in immigration detention. More than 70 percent of them do not have criminal convictions.
There is no publicly available data that would tell us how many people have been subject to mandatory detention under Laken Riley. But individual cases show the law’s impact.
In San Diego, Noah Montague represented a man who was never even arrested for a crime. While not a lawyer, Montague is accredited to represent people in immigration court proceedings.
RADLOV 0715 00:03:03:11 / 12:58:01:04“My client has never been arrested for any kind of crime relating to assault on a police officer. However what happened, when he was picked up by ICE, the narrative that ICE wrote said that he basically resisted arrest and that resulted in assault of a police officer.”
No arrest, no charge, no conviction. Just the words of a federal officer. Yet, the judge invoked Laken Riley.
RADLOV 0715 00:03:32:14 / 12:58:30:07“There’s been no arrest for this crime, there’s been no conviction, my client has maintained that he didn’t try to do this. And the only context that this came up is a report by an ICE officer that’s actually unsigned.”
Montague describes the Laken Riley Act as just one piece of Trump’s mass deportation machine. Others include courthouse arrests, travel bans, third-country deportations, and aggressive immigration enforcement raids.
All with the ultimate goal of making life so difficult for immigrants that they will self deport.
RADLOV 0715 00:06:59:29 / 13:01:57:20“They’re kind of piecemeal pulling this policy, this policy, they just make it so unbearable that people decide they don’t want to “play the game” or go through the process.”
Levin’s office declined multiple interview requests by KPBS. In a statement, Levin acknowledges that an arrest is not a finding of guilt and should not be allowed to become a shortcut around due process. But the text of the law he voted for specifically requires DHS to detain immigrants after an arrest.
Since voting for that law, Levin has become an outspoken critic of Trump’s deportation agenda. He’s voted to withhold funding for ICE, demanded more transparency from detention centers, and advocated for families of deported constituents.
Gustavo Solis, KPBS News
##########
SAN DIEGO’S JUVENILE JUSTICE COMMISSION IS FACING A SHAKY FUTURE.
REPORTER KATIE HYSON SAYS THAT’S AS ABUSE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THE COUNTY’S JUVENILE INSTITUTIONS CONTINUE TO PILE UP.
JJC 1 trt 1:18 SOQ (kh/mb)
San Diego’s Juvenile Justice Commission, or J-J-C, inspects the county’s juvenile institutions and reviews reports of serious incidents there.
State law requires the commission to exist.
Until now, the Superior Court has provided the commission with administrative support, staffing and liability insurance.
The Court argues it needs to separate from the J-J-C to maintain judicial neutrality. And it says the County is responsible for the commission’s costs.
But the commissioners say they need independence from the County to hold it accountable.
The support is due to end on September 29th.
Nine of the 10 commissioners have said without liability insurance, they’ll resign. Effectively ending independent oversight of the County’s juvenile institutions.
Meanwhile, hundreds of plaintiffs are alleging misconduct and abuse in the county’s juvenile halls and foster care facilities in pending lawsuits.
Commissioner Rudy Ramirez.
SOT :12 The recent allegations involving youth in custody remind us why independent oversight exists in the first place. This is a time to strengthen that oversight, not weaken it.
The County did not respond to KPBS’s questions by deadline.
Katie Hyson, KPBS News
##########
THE COUNTY RELEASED EMPLOYEE MISCONDUCT RECORDS THIS WEEK. AND WITHIN MINUTES THE COUNTY ALSO ANNOUNCED THE DEPARTURE OF ITS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DIRECTOR.
THE MOVES CAME MORE THAN A YEAR AFTER OUR PUBLIC MATTERS PARTNER VOICE OF SAN DIEGO SUED THE COUNTY FOR NOT RELEASING THE RECORDS.
VOICE OF SAN DIEGO SENIOR REPORTER LISA HALVERSTADT HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING THE MATTER SO WE SAT DOWN FOR A CONVERSATION ABOUT IT
0:00) San Diego County released employee misconduct records this week, and within minutes, the (0:04) county also announced the departure of its behavioral health director. (0:08) The move comes more than a year after our public matters partner, Voice of San Diego, (0:12) sued the county for not releasing those records. (0:15) Voice of San Diego senior reporter Lisa Halverstad joins me now, and we're going to discuss (0:18) this matter.
(0:19) Thank you for your time, Lisa. (0:20) Thanks for having me. (0:21) No problem.
(0:22) The county hasn't directly said why behavioral health director Nadia Prevara left, but could (0:27) you tell us what we know now and why this departure is so significant? (0:30) So it's a pretty large department that recently became a standalone department from the Health (0:35) and Human Services Agency. (0:37) It's also a department that's facing a lot of change with a lot of state regulatory changes, (0:42) and Nadia Prevara, since January of this year, was at the helm of that department, leading (0:48) through all of that change. (0:50) And on Tuesday, I was sitting at my computer in the office, and all of a sudden, my phone (0:55) and email start blowing up, and the county was releasing these records, and it also released (1:01) this announcement.
(1:02) And what they said in the announcement is basically, you know, they don't condone racism (1:07) or sexism, but they didn't say specifically what these misconduct allegations were. (1:14) What they did say about Nadia Prevara's departure is that there was a need for a leadership (1:20) change. (1:20) That's what they decided.
(1:21) But they really haven't told us what sort of actions did Nadia Prevara take or not take. (1:28) And they didn't, in that announcement, detail exactly what those misconduct allegations (1:33) were. (1:33) They just sort of alluded.
(1:35) The interesting thing is, I put in this Public Records Act request, which any of your listeners (1:39) can make a Public Records Act request, in March of last year. (1:44) And they were for behavioral health misconduct records for the prior two years. (1:49) So these are actually records covering investigations that the county did of misconduct in 2023 (1:56) through 2025.
(1:58) So these aren't new allegations. (2:01) You know, it's very unusual for an entity like the county to make an announcement that (2:07) it's giving up these records and then did not give any indication what they are. (2:13) It kind of raised a lot of questions, and I can tell you, part of the reason my phone (2:18) was blowing up is because when the county made this announcement but didn't provide (2:22) specific information, people that I know in the community were reaching out to me and (2:28) saying, Lisa, what's going on? (2:30) Do you know anything about this? (2:31) And I said, I think that this is related to that public records request I made now more (2:37) than a year ago.
(2:38) And Lisa, now that you have these records, you've learned a lot. (2:41) You've read through them. (2:42) You're sorting through them, like you say.
(2:43) And you learned about an alleged incident with a county administrative analyst making (2:47) a racist remark. (2:48) What can we what can you tell us about that at this moment? (2:51) So at this moment, what I can say is that this employee in February 2025 was participating (2:58) in a diversity training online with about 75 other people. (3:03) She believed she was muted at the time, but she was not.
(3:06) And she made a racist comment about black people running the training and felt she (3:13) said that she felt it was political. (3:15) That's what the county investigation found. (3:18) What I have found subsequent to that is it's unclear what sort of discipline she received, (3:23) but she was promoted after that incident, which raises some big questions.
(3:28) That how could you have something like that on your record, but still be going up for (3:32) promotion? (3:32) And did they sweep it under the rug? (3:34) Is it on their formal record? (3:36) Was there anyone else who went up for this promotion who didn't have things on their (3:39) record? (3:39) I mean, there's a lot of questions that instantly come up when you hear something like that. (3:43) So many questions. (3:44) And, you know, just think of the others in that training.
(3:47) You know, I know this individual said that, you know, she was just horrified that she (3:53) was caught saying this. (3:55) And she said she wasn't really saying like how it came off to people. (3:59) But for those who were in the training and heard this, it was really disconcerting.
(4:03) She was booted from the training right away because it was, you know, like a Zoom or something (4:08) like that. (4:09) But it's unclear what the county did after that. (4:12) And they're refusing to tell me what actions they took after that.
(4:16) They are confirming, however, that she got promoted. (4:19) And Lisa, as you say, it took over a year from you first requesting to actually get (4:24) these records. (4:24) Can you take us through timeline-wise what happened after that? (4:27) Yes.
(4:28) So I made the initial request. (4:30) And after about a month or so, the county denied that request and gave a bunch of exemptions (4:36) saying why they didn't think these records should be released. (4:39) I consulted Voice of San Diego's attorney, Felix Tinkoff, and we agreed that that didn't (4:45) really make sense.
(4:47) And so then with the approval of our CEO and editor-in-chief and the board of Voice of (4:53) San Diego, we filed a lawsuit hoping all along that we could just resolve this. (4:59) Just want to see the records released. (5:00) Just want to see the records.
(5:01) And what ended up happening was months of fighting in court back and forth over could (5:08) we take depositions of certain officials. (5:11) And finally, this summer, the judge in the case, Matthew Braynor, issued an order saying (5:19) that the county needed to release these records. (5:22) And weeks after that, we finally have the records.
(5:25) It's been a long haul. (5:27) The county's chief administrative officer put out a statement saying they're expecting (5:30) additional substantiated findings. (5:33) What does that tell us about the potential scale of misconduct that we might be looking (5:36) at? (5:37) Well, it tells me that I have more digging to do.
(5:40) I would note, as I said before that, my request covered the prior two years before March 2025 (5:48) when I actually made the request. (5:50) So literally right before I came into the studio to record this interview, I put in (5:55) another request for investigations that were completed from March 2025 to present because (6:02) it sounds like there's more for us to take a look at and for the public to know about. (6:07) What major questions are you still hoping to have answered in the end, Lisa? (6:11) I have so many questions.
(6:13) You know, one of them is what is the county doing to protect its employees and patients (6:18) that it serves when we have these kinds of allegations coming out, right? (6:23) Also, as it relates to Nadia Prevara's departure, I mean, she had been a county employee for (6:29) more than 20 years, including 12 years in the behavioral health department. (6:34) What actions did she take or not take that led to her being outed from the county? (6:40) Thank you so much for your time. (6:41) Thank you so much for having me.
TAG: SINCE MY CONVERSATION WITH LISA HALVDERSTADT FROM VOICE OF SAN DIEGO… SHE’S UNEARTHED INCIDENTS OF RACIAL TENSION AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT THE COUNTY’S EDGEMOOR SKILLED NURSING FACILITY.
AND NOW… NADIA PRIVARA IS CONSIDERING LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO. LISA’S REPORTING WAS BROUGHT TO US THROUGH OUR PUBLIC MATTERS PARTNERSHIP WITH VOICE OF SAN DIEGO.
YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT HER INVESTIGATIONS AT KPBS-DOT-ORG-SLASH-PUBLIC-MATTERS
##########
THE NAVY’S TOP ADMIRAL SAID LAST WEEK SAILORS IN ITS CARRIER FORCE SHOULD PLAN ON LONGER DEPLOYMENTS.
MILITARY REPORTER ANDREW DYER SAYS ANOTHER SAN DIEGO-BASED SHIP IS UP NEXT…
TRGO (ad) (:57) SOQ
The chief of naval operations says the Roosevelt’s sailors and their families can expect a deployment longer than seven months.
According to USNI News Admiral Daryl Caudle made the comments while discussing the Iran war’s impact on the Navy’s carrier force.
The Roosevelt spent most of the summer at sea participating in the multi-national Rim of the Pacific exercise.
Three weeks ago the acting Navy secretary told local military families the ship would be relieving another San Diego-based carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The Lincoln’s almost nine-month deployment has reportedly strained families and crew morale.
Earlier this month the Navy dispatched the Japan based USS George Washington to take over for the Lincoln. According to USNI the Roosevelt will replace the Washington.
The Navy’s maintained a carrier presence in the Middle East since launching the war against Iran in February.
Caudle said there’s no signs that commitment will end.
Andrew Dyer, KPBS News
##########
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS PAUSING TARIFFS ON 3-HUNDRED THOUSAND TONS OF GROUND BEEF IMPORTS HE CLAIMS WOULD LOWER COSTS FOR CONSUMERS.
THAT IS RUNNING AFOUL WITH CATTLE RANCHERS.
NORTH COUNTY REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN TALKS TO ONE LOCAL RANCHER WHO EXPLAINS HOW IT WOULD HURT THEIR BOTTOM LINE.
===
Raising cattle is hard work.
NATPOP “MOO!.”
Allison Fender is a third-generation cattle rancher. At Flying F Ranch
NATPOP “It stands for Fender.”
… her days start early and end late.
NATPOP “It seems like always something’s hitting the fan. But it’s good work. It’s good, honest work.”
Which is why it feels like an attack when President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday … pausing tariffs on certain ground beef products for 90 days.
SOT
CG: ALLISON FENDER // FLYING F RANCH
“Importing beef from foreign countries not only kind of undermines what we're doing as ranchers, and it kind of makes us feel that we are not doing enough, even though we're busting our butts every day.”
Trump says he would consider ending the tariff pause if it didn’t result in lower prices for consumers.
But that kind of volatility makes it hard for ranchers to plan long-term.
It takes a while to raise cattle from calf to when they are ready to be butchered.
<<<SHOW CLOSE>>>
That’s it for the podcast today which was edited by Brooke Ruth and hosted and produced by me, Lawrence K. Jackson. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Thanks for listening and have a great day
