Topline:
Recent research from the USC Equity Research Institute estimates that nearly 950,000 undocumented immigrants live in L.A. County. That's more than 9% of people in the county who lack legal status.
What else: When researchers widen the lens to include people who are undocumented or living with an undocumented family member, that number jumps to nearly 20%, or almost one in five people.
Keep reading ... for what we do and don’t know about Angelenos without full legal status.
The Trump administration's laser focus on identifying and uprooting people without legal status in Los Angeles has disrupted normal life in whole swaths of the city since June.
Corridors typically alive with street vendors have been quiet. Volunteers have been monitoring Home Depots for federal agents. And across the region, some people are staying home from work and school, afraid they may encounter ICE agents.
That this is a fractured and frightening time in the region for immigrant communities is undisputed.
Getting a fuller picture of people without legal status who live and work here is more complex.
To better understand our communities and neighbors, LAist looked into what we do and don’t know about Angelenos without full legal status.
The U.S. Census conducted every 10 years is supposed to be a head count of everyone living in the country at that moment in time — and agnostic on their immigration status. The population count affects a whole range of things, notably how political representation is determined and how federal dollars are allocated.
Since 1960, the Census has not asked respondents about their citizenship status. An effort to add that question in 2020 by the first Trump administration was met with significant pushback. Critics said it would have a chilling effect and depress participation of non-citizens and their relatives — ultimately leaving us without a full count of who lives here.
Still, the government keeps estimates of the number of people living in the U.S. without authorization. Academics and organizations also do the work of counting the people living in the U.S. without legal status. Their research offers a closer look at the many people who are undocumented in L.A. and the surrounding area.
Recent research from the USC Equity Research Institute looks at L.A. County specifically, estimating nearly 950,000 undocumented immigrants live here. That's more than 9% of people in the county who lack legal status.
When researchers widen the lens to include people who are undocumented or living with an undocumented family member, that number jumps to nearly 20%, or almost one in five people.
To compile their estimates, USC researchers use surveys conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, take the number of non-citizen immigrants and remove the people that have legal status, according to Prof. Manuel Pastor, director of the Equity Research Institute. The latest data they used is from 2023.
The results indicate the depth and breadth of the impact of ramped-up immigration enforcement in L.A. this summer. Masked federal agents have detained parents, people who have been in the U.S. for decades, and even some U.S. citizens.
" I think it's useful for Angelenos to realize how ubiquitous it is to be without documentation," Pastor said.
California has more immigrants than any other state — around 10.6 million people out of a total population of more than 39 million in 2023, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
Most immigrants in California have legal status. More than half are U.S. citizens, according to California officials. In 2022, 83% of immigrants in California either were citizens or had other legal residency status, such as a green card or a visa.
Estimates of exactly how many undocumented people are living in California vary. The Department of Homeland Security estimated 2.6 million unauthorized immigrants were living in California.
According to Pew Research Center, in 2023, California was home to around 2.3 million immigrants without full legal status. That number includes people in a variety of situations, including those with some level of legal protections, like asylum applicants, DACA recipients, and people who have been granted temporary protected status.
California is home to the largest cohort of DACA recipients in the nation. As of 2024, more than a quarter of the around 538,000 active recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals live in California, according to government data. That status protects undocumented young adults who were brought to the U.S. as children from deportation and allows them work authorization.
People without full legal status in California have a wide range of national origins. Nearly half of the state's undocumented population is from Mexico, according to a report from the Bay Area Council Economic Institute and UC Merced. The vast majority of that group — 80% — have been in the U.S. for more than 15 years.
In recent years, more people have arrived in the state from Central America and Asia. The report attributes the shifting demographics of new arrivals to improved economic prospects in Mexico and growing economic and political instability in Central America and countries like China and India.
The Trump administration ran on a campaign promise of mass deportations, in part in response to a rise in immigration to the U.S. after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Estimates of exactly how many undocumented people are in the country and how that number has changed vary. According to the Pew Research Center, the number of unauthorized immigrants in 2023 was 14 million, up from 10.5 million in 2021 — a 33% increase.
By comparison, California's unauthorized population grew around 23% in that time period, according to Pew's estimates. In 2023, the state was home to around 2.3 million undocumented immigrants, a bump of around 425,000 compared to 2021.
The increase specifically in Los Angeles was even smaller around that same time period — 15% according to USC’s Pastor.
"We did not get the gigantic influx of shocking new immigrants that the rest of the country did," Pastor told LAist. "We got some, but mostly they went to other parts of the country."
USC estimates that 948,700 people in L.A. County are undocumented, out of a total population of 10.1 million. Most people without legal status have been in the U.S. for more than a decade, according to those estimates. Some 73% arrived in the country more than 10 years ago, while 18% of people have been here for 31 years or more.
Most undocumented immigrants in L.A. County — 83.8% — are Latino. The next largest group is Asian Americans, who make up 10.6% of the county's undocumented immigrants.
The largest share of undocumented immigrants in L.A. County come from Mexico, followed by Guatemala and El Salvador. USC estimates that more than 343,000 Mexican people without legal status live in the county.
A share of L.A.'s undocumented population are Indigenous migrants from Mexico and Central America, but the number is difficult to estimate, according to USC. According to a separate report from the Equity Research Institute and advocacy group CIELO, the county is home to at least 24 Indigenous migrant communities, including Zapotec and K’iche’.
Chinese people make up the fourth-largest group of undocumented people by ancestry, according to the report. That estimate is 32,600.
As the federal government has ramped up deportations across the country, it has made a particularly visible effort here in L.A.
Federal officials have defended the enforcement actions, saying they’re targeting people with criminal records.
LAist found that as an average since last October, only about 18% of those detained in California ICE facilities have had any criminal convictions.
Hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens in L.A. County live with family members who are undocumented — more than 863,000 according to USC estimates.
Those numbers are particularly striking for children. More than half of citizens living with undocumented family members are younger than 17 years old. In the county, 20% of children under the age of 5 have at least one parent who does not have legal status.
As federal immigration raids in Southern California have separated workers from their families and children, many left behind are struggling with making ends meet and paying rent. Eighty percent of undocumented immigrants in the county are renters.
"With fears around ICE raids and the possibility that undocumented workers may choose not to show up for work, there is also a great risk of missing rent payments and becoming even more vulnerable to losing housing," the USC report reads.
The vast majority of undocumented immigrants in L.A. County are of working age: 90% are between 18 and 64. Just 1% are 65 or older, according to USC's data.
The report points to the major role undocumented workers play in the local economy. According to USC's estimates, 37% of cleaning and maintenance workers and 25% of food preparation and service workers in L.A. County are undocumented.
The industry with the highest percentage of undocumented workers is construction (40%), which is already experiencing a labor shortage and will be key to rebuilding parts of the county destroyed in the January fires.
Immigrants without legal status in the county also contribute billions in taxes. In 2023, USC estimates undocumented immigrants paid more than $3.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes.
Jordan Rynning contributed to this report.
What to expect: A sunny day with highs in the mid 70s, and up to 80 degrees more inland.
What about those Santa Ana winds? Santa Ana winds are returning, which means it will be breezy all day in most areas. Gusts could reach up to 25 mph in the foothills, around 30 mph for the 5 Freeway corridor and Santa Clarita Valley, and up to 35 mph for the San Gabriel Mountains.
What's next? Warmer temperatures are on tap through Wednesday, but don't worry, cooling will return for Thanksgiving.
Warmer temperatures are on tap through Wednesday, but don't worry, cooling will return for Thanksgiving.
Low clouds and some fog will cover the beaches Tuesday morning, but that will clear by the afternoon. Along the Orange County coast, expect highs of between 68 and 74 degrees. For L.A. County, highs will be from 70 to 78 degrees.
More inland, valley communities will see highs of up to 81 degrees in some areas. Temperatures for the Inland Empire will range from 74 to 80 degrees.
In Coachella Valley, expect daytime highs of up to 79 degrees. The Antelope Valley will be cooler, with highs reaching 67 degrees.
Santa Ana winds are returning, which means it will be breezy all day in most areas. Gusts could reach up to 25 mph in the foothills, around 30 mph for the 5 Freeway corridor and Santa Clarita Valley, and up to 35 mph for the San Gabriel Mountains.
Topline:
Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight on Monday launched a new tracking system to document possible misconduct and abuse during federal immigration enforcement operations under the Trump administration, according to Rep. Robert Garcia of Long Beach, who is the ranking member of the committee.
The details: As of Monday, the the new dashboard listed 252 incidents dating back to Jan. 26. Only incidents verified by reputable media outlets or referenced in litigation are included, according to the committee website. Social media videos without corroboration are not included. Each incident is categorized as either under one or more of the following types of possible misconduct: "concerning use of force," "concerning arrest/detention," "concerning deportation," and an "enforcement action at a sensitive location.” Incidents involving U.S. citizens are categorized with a "U.S. Citizen" tag.
The backstory: Immigrant rights organizations and many Democratic leaders have long expressed concerns about the practices of federal immigration authorities carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan. “Our Dashboard shines a light on the harmful actions perpetrated against U.S. citizens and immigrants across the country,” Garcia said in a statement.
In-custody deaths: More than 40 members of the U.S. House, including 15 representatives from California, are also demanding answers from federal authorities about the record number of people who died in immigration detention this year. Fifteen people have died so far this year, including two at the Adelanto immigration detention center.
Topline:
A study from UCLA found that in drier years, larger animals are more likely to head closer and closer to where people live.
What’s driving this: It depends on the animal, but food and water are the main factors. Less rain means less standing water and less vegetation for herbivores. As these animals look for food and water in more populated areas, omnivores and carnivores also follow them.
What animals are affected: Among many others, deer, elk, squirrels, mountain lions, bobcats, and black bears are all inclined to leave their natural habitats to seek out supplemental food sources in yards and agricultural areas.
Read on... for more on what the data tells about our wild visitors and what are climate has to do with them.
If you’ve noticed more wildlife visiting your yard in recent years — maybe digging up your vegetable garden or even drinking from your pool — you’re not alone.
A recent study from UCLA found that larger predators like mountain lions and bears are more likely to interact with humans and travel closer to population centers in drier years. To determine this, the researchers analyzed state data collected on reported property damage, nuisances, conflicts and sightings.
“It kind of runs the full gamut of how people interact with wildlife around their neighborhoods and their homes,” said UCLA postdoctoral researcher Kendall Calhoun, the lead author on the study.
As you might expect, different animals might have different reasons for entering populated areas. But in large part, Calhoun said, it comes down to animals’ survival instincts.
The primary motivator for many herbivores is likely to be food. That’s because with less precipitation, there’s also less plant material for them to eat. (Don’t forget: even with all the rain we’ve had recently, much of Southern California is still in a drought.)
“ Deer and elk might be pushed to find those food resources in places that they normally wouldn't go, like agriculture, crops, things from people's yards, persimmons from your tree,” Calhoun said.
And as herbivores get pushed toward humans, the animals that prey on them are too. In fact, the species that saw the highest increases in clashes with humans were omnivores and carnivores, specifically mountain lions, coyotes, black bears and bobcats.
But even these animals have varying reasons for getting close to people.
“Mountain lions might be more inclined to look for supplemental food in livestock — that might be a sheep or a goat,” Calhoun said. “Black bears may be more willing to go into your trash to look for food to help supplement what they're missing in their resource-scarce natural areas.”
Meanwhile, animals of all kinds might enter a yard even when they have enough food to look for standing water.
Researchers analyzed data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife that were reported over the last several years as part of a citizen science initiative.
One important caveat is that the researchers primarily looked at conflicts between wildlife and residents, and there may be differences in how these interactions are reported.
For example, you might not report a deer eating fruit from an overloaded tree as a nuisance, but even a peaceful black bear digging through your trash could raise alarm bells.
"People also really value having wildlife living alongside them," Calhoun said. "It really is important for us to try to strike that balance where there's pros for both sides, without some of the negative interactions that come with living in close proximity with wildlife species."
There’s more background on the research on UCLA’s website, and you can find the full study here.
You can also learn much more about interactions between humans and wildlife in LAist’s Imperfect Paradise podcast series, “Lions, Coyotes, & Bears.”
Topline:
Fast, affordable internet service in parts of L.A. County is expected to become available soon and organizers say now is a good time to sign up for alerts when the program goes live.
How much will the service cost? There will be different plans available — low income, market rate and small business — at different internet speeds and fixed price rates. The low-cost service plan will start at $25 per month for qualifying families. Those who don’t qualify could also purchase plans starting at $65 a month.
How will it work? The internet provider, WeLink, will install a Wi-Fi router inside a home and a 4-inch radio on the roof that will then connect to the internet network.
Why it matters: About 23% of households in East L.A. and Boyle Heights, and more than 40,000 households in South L.A., don’t have home internet.
Read on … for how to stay in the loop when the service rolls out.
Low-cost internet service will soon roll out in parts of L.A. County at the end of this year, and organizers say eligible households can sign up for alerts when the service becomes available.
The service — a partnership between L.A. County and internet provider WeLink — is the latest project from the county’s “Delete the Divide,” an initiative meant to bridge the digital divide in underserved neighborhoods.
Major funding for the project comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, as well as a grant from the California Public Utilities Commission.
About 23%, or more than 20,000, households in the East L.A. and Boyle Heights area don’t have home internet, according to Delete the Divide.
The service will also soon be coming to South L.A., where more than 40,000 households were identified as lacking home internet.
There will be different plans available — including low-income, market-rate and small business options — at fixed prices. The low-cost plan will start at $25 per month for qualifying families. Those who don’t qualify could also purchase plans starting at $65 a month. Monthly rates are fixed until at least September 2027.
Every plan includes unlimited data, a router and parental controls.
WeLink will install a Wi-Fi router inside a home and a 4-inch radio on the roof to connect the household to the internet.
Interested households can sign up for updates and be notified by WeLink when service is available here.
