A six-day nationwide sweep targeting immigration fugitives and convicted illegal immigrants ended Thursday, netting 206 arrests in the Los Angeles area alone. Of those arrested in L.A., 106 had prior convictions for serious or violent crimes. On the national level, federal agents arrested over 3,100 people. more ›

Many of the passengers on a small boat that washed ashore in El Segundo this week were criminals who were trying to sneak back into the United States after being deported. more ›

A man told Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to "Go back to Mexico" on his way out of the state capitol. Villaraigosa was in Sacramento taking on the third rail of California politics and suggesting that Proposition 13 be overhauled. But Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Morain happened to be tagging along with Villaraigosa that day for a profile of the mayor. more ›

Loosening the reigns a bit more on transportation restrictions, L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck has taken a controversial stance on driver's licensing, stating his belief that California should issue licenses to illegal immigrants. He's shaking up the political debate, and the L.A. Times sat down with Beck to find out more about his views on the subject. more ›

There was little hint of what was about to come on Thursday evening for the wife of long-time federal immigration officer Ezequiel Garcia. Garcia called his wife Balbina and talked about going to Korean BBQ with her when he got home from work. more ›

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot two other agents at a federal building in Long Beach this evening. One of the agents was transported to the hospital, while the other is believed to be dead. more ›

Occupy L.A. activists will "Occupy ICE" today to protest the persecution of immigrant families, reminding the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security that immigrant workers are part of the 99%. more ›

Taking its cues from the mayor, the Los Angeles Police Department is reconsidering its rules for impounding cars. more ›

The campaign to overturn the DREAM Act is steadily gaining steam in California. Opponents of the state law, which allows undocumented high school graduates to apply for financial aid, have been gathering signatures throughout the state. If they get enough signatures, they will be able to put the issue up to popular vote. more ›

Drivers caught driving without a license can expect to have their cars impounded for a month at a time in Los Angeles. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants to change that and allow drivers, many of them illegal immigrants, to get their cars back much quicker. more ›

A small group of Mexican nationals were caught during a failed attempt to illegally enter the U.S. earlier this week. Their bold ploy could have resulted in death. They struggled to squeeze into the states by crawling through an abandoned gas pipeline. more ›

At least six activists demanding an end to the Secure Communities immigration enforcement program were arrested on Wednesday, while staging a sit-in at the Edward R. Roybal federal building downtown. Outside there were nearly 200 supporters protesting outside of the federal building where immigrants are prepared for deportation. Some protestors blocked a ramp used by immigration buses, according to the Los Angeles Times. more ›

During a visit to Los Angeles today, Governor Brown signed into law Part A of the California Dream Act (AB130). This section grants students who meet the in-state tuition requirements permission to apply for and receive specified financial aid programs administered by California's public colleges and universities. more ›

A combo platter of community groups have announced they're filing suit against Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, on grounds he being a shady secret-keeper by not fully disclosing public information about dealings with immigrations enforcement agents. The National Day Laborer Organization (NDLON), the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), say they have been trying to obtain the info through the California Public Records Act. more ›

Justices of the Supreme Court refused to take a look at a California Supreme Court ruling that maintained the state law that grants reduced tuition at state schools to all California high school grads, regardless of immigration status. The Associated Press reports that the court opted not to comment on their decision. more ›

LAPD is prepared for the May Day rally and march expected to draw tens of thousands to the downtown streets on Sunday. Organizers expect up to 50,000 activists -- well short of the hundreds of thousands who showed up for the downtown and MacArthur Park rallies of 2007. more ›

Prosecutors claim Romero, full name Maria Fernanda Romero Martinez, and her musician/pizza store manager friend Kent Ross were living in separate homes and dating other people. They are recommending probation for the 'couple' who admitted to making false statements. more ›

In July of last year, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton issued an injunction barring Arizona police from enforcing part of a highly controversial law that purported to deal with illegal immigration. The law, which was protested widely both in Arizona and in California, gave police unprecedented freedom to arrest Arizona residents who they believe may be undocumented. Many who protested feared that the law would encourage racial profiling and discrimination. more ›

A few hundred demonstrators attended a Claremont for Peace rally this weekend at Memorial Park while a few hundred more immigration rights activists counter-protested on the scene of a neo-Nazi rally at Foothill and Indian Hill boulevards held by white supremacists affiliated with the National Socialist Movement. more ›

We're broke at home and in the government's coffers, and we're either on fire or sliding down our muddy hillsides. Surf's up...and so is immigration. All in all, life in California is...kinda so-so. Only 39 per cent of people say that the great state of California is still pretty great, and rank it "one of the best places to live," reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The figure comes from a joint UC Berkeley and Field Poll that aims to explore the perceived "Quality of Life" in the Golden State. more ›

Last week, the Los Angeles Police Department announced a new policy for handling the impounding of vehicles operated by unlicensed drivers who encounter the Department's sobriety and drivers license checkpoints. As a result, immigrants' rights groups are praising the LAPD, reports ABC7, though they believe "more needs to be done." more ›

A Mexican fishing boat found at Crystal Cove State Park is believed to have been used to smuggle illegal immigrants, according to LA Now. Police were called at 7 a.m. yesterday by a visitor to Moro Beach who witnessed up to 10 people come ashore in the small boat, shed their life jackets and some clothing, then quickly leave the area. more ›

Californians could have the chance to get a little bit of Arizona in our immigration law, thanks to a proposal that could be put to our state's voters. Yesterday the California Secretary of State's Office "authorized a signature drive to place an Arizona-style immigration law before California voters," reports the Sacramento Bee. more ›

Today the state Supreme Court is expected to reach a decision "whether undocumented immigrants may continue to receive in-state tuition rates at the state's colleges and universities or be required to pay the higher rates charged to students from other states," according to LA Now. more ›

Don't sew yourself into the upholstery. Don't hide half a ton of marijuana in bogus concrete furniture. Don't miss KTLA's supremely disturbing gallery of "Bizarre Border Busts" with a collection of 39 photos courtesy of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. more ›

The Hammer Museum hosts the panel discussion Won't You Be My Neighbor? Race, Class, and Residence in Los Angeles tonight at 7 pm. Exploring race from a residential perspective and social justice concerns, the panel features scholars and community activists George Lipsitz (professor of black studies at UCSB), Marqueece Harris-Dawson (executive director of Community Coalition), Charlotte Brimmer (Project Manager, Community Redevelopment Agency/LA) and Dale Brockman Davis (artist). This panel will be moderated by Naima J. Keith (Curatorial Fellow at Hammer Museum). more ›

Just a day after last night's gubernatorial debate between Attorney General Jerry Brown and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman has real drama begun. This morning high-profile attorney Gloria Allred held a press conference where Whitman's former housekeeper Nicky Diaz alleged mistreatment from the candidate, who knew said Whitman also knew that she was undocumented. more ›

The Costa Mesa City Council will discuss looking into implementing the federal E-Verify program used to check the immigration status of people, reports the Daily Pilot. more ›

Hector Tobar at the LA Times last week penned a column about the August 23rd massacre of 72 U.S.-bound immigrants in Northeastern Mexico and makes an interesting Los Angeles/immigration debate connection: more ›