Orange County officials and community members gathered outside Buena Park City Hall to address the widespread impact of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations across county industries on July 21.
Small business owners and local school district representatives were present along with several officials, including California Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, Orange County 2nd District Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, Anaheim Councilmember Natalie Rubalcava and North Orange County Chamber of Commerce President Andrew Gregson.
ICE raids were confirmed to be in Orange County after ICE was spotted around the Santa Ana Civic Center on June 9. The raids most notably affected the construction, tourism and hospitality industries. Following that week, targeted ICE raids began in Irvine on June 12.
KTLA reports that ICE arrested more than 2,700 immigrants in the Los Angeles area since June 6.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, there were approximately 236,000 undocumented immigrants living in Orange County in 2019. Out of the 227,000 who were of working age, 67% were employed. The top industries these immigrants were employed in are accommodation and food services, manufacturing, construction and professional services.
“ICE raids are creating fear and disrupting our economy, hurting our local businesses, and putting tremendous pressure on our schools,” Quirk-Silva said in a press release. “We need immigration policies that reflect our values, protect working families and strengthen, not weaken, the communities that make California what it is.”
4th Street Market, also known as La Cuatro, is home to many small businesses and is a social hub in Santa Ana, Calif. The lack of street vendors, foot traffic and open businesses are a result of the impact ICE has had on the community. Business owners in Santa Ana have reported low customer attendance since June 11. According to the California Immigrant Data Portal, immigrants have approximately $354 billion in spending power.
The economic impacts are felt statewide. In Quirk-Silva’s press release, she notes that 45% of agricultural workers have stopped showing up to work, and California’s GDP is projected to decrease by 0.25%.
Private sector employment decreased by 3.1% following raids in Los Angeles, and contributions of $51.4 billion in state and local taxes and $81.8 billion in federal taxes are at risk.
During the press conference, officials also addressed the impact ICE raids have on schools. Many community colleges reported a decrease in student enrollment.
“We’ve heard from students who are afraid to attend class, parents who disappeared from drop-off lines and faculty witnessing the growing silence of a once vibrant classroom,” North Orange County Community College District Chancellor Byron D. Clift Breland said during the press conference. “We’ve seen, in certain areas, a reduction in enrollment go down as much as 50% in ESL and our adult education courses.”
Orange County proposed multiple measures to combat ICE, but few have been successful. In a recent Orange City Council meeting, a resolution that would’ve required ICE agents to reveal their identification while working failed to pass.
Council Members Arianna Barrios and Ana Gutierrez, who proposed the resolution, also requested that the City of Orange add a page to the city’s website with resources to help families who have been impacted by ICE raids. However, that request was denied.
Other cities in Orange County, including Anaheim, Irvine and Santa Ana, have pages on their city websites with resources regarding ICE raids available to them.
In a press conference on June 12, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that ICE will continue to remain in California until they “liberate the city of Los Angeles.”
“We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialist and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into this city,” Noem said in the press conference.
Until then, Orange County will continue to feel the impact.
“Something deeply wrong is happening,” Quirk-Silva said. “These raids have not made us safer, they’ve made us more afraid. They have pulled parents from homes, workers from job sites and children from classrooms.”
Alejandra Rodriguez Zepeda is a News Intern for the summer 2025 quarter. She can be reached at alejar16@uci.edu.
Edited by Jeralynn Querubin and Joshua Gonzales