Personal Property Abandoned After ICE Arrests in Calif.

Increased arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are leading to an unforeseen issue in California. The Los Angeles Times reported that the personal property of those arrested is left unattended. Often, such items are abandoned in public areas.

The Times reported that in one case in Ontario, about 35 miles east of Los Angeles, a resident walked outside his home to check on two gardeners he had hired, only to find they were gone, the lawn half mowed, the mower was still running, and the worker's truck sat in the driveway. KTLA-TV reported it the situation was the result of ICE arrests.

In other cases according to the LA Times, people arrested by ICE were forced to leave food trucks and ice cream carts behind. Family members often don't hear about arrests until long after the fact, leaving personal items of those arrested out in the open for anyone to help themselves.

The Orange County Rapid Response Network is trying to help. The community-based organization, known as OCRRN, supports immigrants who face enforcement actions. The group is working with volunteers to report abandoned vehicles, especially those identified during ICE arrests, to make sure family members are aware.

The Santa Ana Police Department posted that it was joining the effort to get property returned to family members. The city's public information officer, Natalie Garcia, told the LA Times, "We're looking out of the box to see how we can help these families."

She added: "We want to remind our community that we're here to serve and protect them. We don't work with any federal immigration actions."

California began enforcing its Values Act in 2018, which is a sanctuary state declaration and dictates that no state resources should be used to assist federal immigration enforcement efforts.

Public immigration sweeps by ICE in June were blamed for riots that broke out in the Los Angeles area, leading to a National Guard deployment order by President Donald Trump to curb the violence. Damage estimates after the riots approached $20 million.