Federal immigration enforcement agents demobilize staging area at Terminal Island

Federal immigration enforcement agents were no longer staging from their base at Terminal Island in San Pedro, Los Angeles City Councilman Tim McOsker announced on Friday.

The councilman, who represents the 15th Council District, which encompasses the Harbor Area, said he received reports that the staging operation has demobilized. Though he awaits confirmation from the federal government, McOsker added that he “believes these accounts to be true.”

Since June 2025, federal immigration enforcement agents have used federal property — a Coast Guard base located on Terminal Island — as a staging area. McOsker said that for well over half a year their presence has been unsettling for families, workers and the community who want to live their lives in peace.

“Although we do not know the reason for their departure, in moments like this, we will take any good news we can get. However, I want to urge everyone to remain vigilant and look out for your neighbors as indiscriminate raids are still occurring throughout L.A. County, even if these agents are no longer staging at Terminal Island,” McOsker said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and Border Patrol officers began conducting operations in Southern California, residents have observed and captured their activity.

Among these groups, Harbor Area residents launched the Harbor Area Peace Patrol to monitor and report ICE activity in their community.

McOsker believed the federal government’s decision to demobilize was in large part to the peace patrollers.

“Day after day, morning and afternoon, rain or shine, they showed up. They kept watch. They ensured that enforcement activity was not happening in the shadows. By documenting vehicles, photographing license plates, and sharing timely information with the broader community, they helped residents across the county stay informed and look out for one another,” McOsker said in his statement.

“I am tremendously grateful to the Peace Patrollers and to all our community members who looked out for their neighbors, for their steady presence and their dedication to community safety,” McOsker added. “We need to carry on that spirit in the months and years to come.”