North County Report: Yes, ICE Arrests Are Up in North County 

Last week, at a Voice of San Diego event in Escondido, I spoke with one of our readers who lives in the area about recent arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, across the nation. 

“There haven’t been many ICE arrests in North County, right?” he asked me. “I haven’t really heard of any.” 

I had anecdotally heard about ICE arrests ramping up in North County, but his question inspired me to look at the numbers. It turns out, there has been an increase in ICE arrests across North County, with Escondido seeing the highest number of ICE arrests when compared to other North County cities. 

I analyzed some data that was recently compiled by the Deportation Data Project, first reported by Axios San Diego. As of June 26, the most recent data available, ICE arrests in North County have been higher each month in 2025 compared to the same months in 2024. And notably, a larger share of those arrests this year have involved people without criminal convictions or charges. 

Let’s get into it. 

What the Data Shows 

The Trump administration’s push for mass deportations officially kicked off in January, and data from the first six months of that effort indicates that immigration arrests across San Diego have significantly increased since last year. 

Most of those arrests are concentrated in the city of San Diego, but hundreds of arrests are happening throughout San Diego County. In North County, Escondido, Vista and Oceanside have seen the highest number of ICE arrests, data shows. 

By June 26, halfway through 2025, the number of ICE arrests in North County was only about 15 arrests away from surpassing the North County arrest totals in all of 2024. 

And when viewed by month, there were more arrests each month from January to June of this year, than there were during those same months in 2024. 

Criminal History 

The criminal history of people arrested by ICE has also been a focus of the immigration enforcement discussion.  

The Trump administration has previously said officers are targeting individuals with criminal convictions or charges, but the recent data shows that the number of people arrested without criminal charges or convictions has risen significantly countywide.  

While people with criminal convictions still made up the largest share of ICE arrests in North County, that share dropped from 64 percent in 2024 to 47 percent so far in 2025. At the same time, arrests of people with no convictions or pending charges nearly doubled, rising from 13 percent to 30 percent. The percentage of people with pending charges stayed the same. 

So, even though 2025 isn’t over yet, the numbers show a shift — ICE agents are increasingly arresting people who don’t have any criminal convictions or charges. 

Around Town: Del Mar’s Affordable Housing Plans May Be at Risk – Again  

The city of Del Mar’s plans to build an affordable housing project at the Del Mar Fairgrounds may be in trouble, once again. 

Last week, the board that runs the Fairgrounds, called the 22nd District Agricultural Association, or 22nd DAA, discussed a recent decision by the Del Mar’s City Council to support a proposed statewide ballot initiative that would reduce the state’s control in housing matters, according to a report by the Coast News. 

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Del Mar leaders voting to support the initiative called Our Neighborhood Voices that aims to change the California constitution to give local governments control over housing and land use decisions, allowing them to override conflicting state laws.   

Well, it looks like the 22nd DAA – a state agency whose board members are appointed by the governor of California – wasn’t too fond of that. 

Del Mar has an agreement with the Fairgrounds to build an affordable housing project on the Fairgrounds property that would create up to 61 low-income units. And the city is banking on the project to fulfill its state-mandated affordable housing requirements.    

At a July 24 meeting, 22nd DAA board member Mark Arabo said they should pause affordable discussions with the city until its leaders can explain why they would support an initiative that he said is “anti-affordable housing.” 

Other board members did not agree to pausing discussions with the city again, but agreed that Del Mar leaders should explain why they supported the initiative and how they are making progress toward their state-mandated housing goals. Then, the board will make a decision on whether to move forward. 

The 22nd DAA suspended discussions of the project with Del Mar officials once before after Del Mar leaders continued to show support for an underground train tunnel route that would run underneath the Fairgrounds (you can read more about that here.) 

In Other News 

• The Carlsbad Police Department is testing first-responder drones and could be the next city in San Diego County to adopt the program. (Union-Tribune) 
• Tens of thousands of union nurses and hospital staff at Kaiser Permanente locations in Southern California are planning an informational picket on Aug. 1 amid negotiations to replace a five-year contract that’s set to expire Sept. 30. (Union-Tribune) 
• Former San Diego County Democratic Party leader and Oceanside resident Kyle Krahel is running for the District 5 seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors next year. (Coast News) 
• And speaking of elections, Escondido Mayor Dane White recently announced his run for reelection in 2026. (Coast News) 

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