WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Friday, February 7th, the L.A. Times published an article that said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would lead a "large-scale" immigration enforcement plan in the Los Angeles area, focusing on those without legal status in the U.S. or who have pending orders of removal.
According to Fox News, the L.A. Times said that it reviewed an internal government document that detailed the operation. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X, taking a dig at the FBI and accusing them of leaking ICE's plans for the immigration enforcement plans.
She wrote, "The FBI is so corrupt. We will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law. The document was reportedly circulated among some government officials last week. The L.A. Times also reported that a federal law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity said that LA FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration officers and agents are being called in to assist."
ICE sources told Fox News that they do not know where Noem got the information or what she is basing it on. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi joined "Fox Report" on Sunday, February 9th, where she discussed immigration enforcement and was asked about the leaks within the federal government.
Bondi said, "Well, you know, if anyone leaks anything, people don't understand that it jeopardizes the lives of our great men and women in law enforcement, and if you leaked it, we will find out who you are, and we will come after you. It's not going to stop our mission. It's not going to stop the president's mission to make America safe again."
She also said if people do not want to follow the law, the Department of Justice (DOJ) will prosecute them. Bondi was asked about an operation in Denver, Colorado, where individuals used bullhorns to let people know that ICE was coming, advising illegal immigrants of what they should and should not do if approached by agents.
In cases where people inform illegal immigrants that they are in danger, Bondi was asked if anything could or should be done to stop it. She said, "It very well could rise to the level of obstruction, and we will be looking at every single case where someone jeopardizes the lives of the great men and women in law enforcement, and they will be held accountable.
If you leak, if you do anything, like you said, if you come out with bullhorns that could jeopardize their lives, we will investigate it, and we will come after you." According to CBS6, border czar Tom Homan released a similar statement last week in response to allegedly leaked information about an ICE raid in Aurora, Colorado.
He told reporters that media reports about the impending operation, which targeted members of the transnational criminal gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), put officers' safety at risk. He said, "We've already identified how this operation got leaked. I'll deal with that today. When we show up at these sites, this is a dangerous job for the men and women of ICE and Border Patrol and all the [Department of Justice] agencies.
To have this type of interference puts our officers at great risk, not only the officers, it puts the aliens at great risk cause anything can happen when we take our eyes of the goal here." ICE said it arrested 194 members of TdA between January 21st and February 3rd. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the individuals would be deported to Venezuela, where the gang originated.
