(This story has been updated to correct those involved in the Indio crash.)
Federal agents conducting immigration enforcement have recently swept through several cities in the Coachella Valley, officials said Friday, Dec. 19.
“ICE has been very active in our city over the past few days,” Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said in a video posted on social media. “We have actually spoken with ICE agents and let them know that we are not assisting them in any way.”
The scope of the immigration activity could not immediately be determined, but social media posts showed multiple locations from Palm Springs to Indio had been targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE agents detained a man who appeared to be a landscaper in the 1400 block of Sunny Dunes Rd. Held on July 10, 2025 in Palm Springs, California.
ICE does not comment on specific immigration enforcement actions.
Indio man arrested by ICE after driving into mailbox
In Indio, police reported that a car crashed into a mailbox in the wall of the 46000 block of Vargas Road after ICE agents tried to stop a man in Salton City earlier in the day. Sgt. ICE agents detained the 34-year-old man at the scene because they said he was wanted for immigration violations, Abe Plata wrote in a press release.
Plata said three children were in the car with the man at the time of the crash. The children were restrained in the vehicle and were not seriously injured, he said. Both the man and the child were taken to hospital as a precaution. Plata also said the children will eventually be reunited with their mother. He did not say whether the man driving the car was the children’s father. He also noted that Indio police were not involved in any ICE enforcement or investigative activities and were only providing emergency response to the incident.
Related: What to do if intercepted by ICE? How local advocates can use your rights
As news of the arrests spread, many residents were alarmed by ICE’s presence in the Coachella Valley. Although federal authorities had made some local arrests earlier this year, the week of Dec. 14 appeared to be the first widespread enforcement action in months.
“What do we do?” one user posted in a local Facebook group. “It’s crazy…people can’t even go out and not worry about this. Is there anything we can do?”
(This is a developing story so more information will be added as it is released.)
Sam Morgan covers Palm Springs for The Desert Sun. Contact him at smorgen@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared in the Palm Springs Desert Sun: ICE agents involved in Indio crash, ICE also active in Palm Springs