Wahab: 'We are not prepared' for ICE
Pregnant women are avoiding hospitals due to ICE fears, Chinese and Indian small businesses in the East Bay are being targeted. Wahab says L.A. is a “testing ground” for broader immigration crackdowns
☕️MORNING BUZZ
—State Sen. Aisha Wahab and Bay Area organizations specializing in immigration policy say the situation unfolding in Southern California may foreshadow what’s to come across the state.
“Even though we are watching what is going on in L.A., the consensus is that we are not prepared in the Bay Area,” Wahab said, appearing before the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee on Aug. 6.
“I personally believe what is happening in L.A. is a testing ground for what they can do across California and potentially a bigger blitz.”
The Trump administration’s interpretation of immigration enforcement zones allows federal agencies like ICE to operate within 100 miles of the U.S. border and coastline—parameters that, Wahab noted, encompass the entire Bay Area and most of the Central Valley. “If they have authority there, they have authority in all our cities,” she said.
Wahab is scheduled to visit detention centers in Los Angeles this week to observe conditions and assess what can be done to protect vulnerable populations.
—411 ON THE 510—Become an East Bay Insiders subscriber today and get FULL ACCESS to the inside scoop every weekday morning at 6 a.m. It’s what the insiders read.
🙏To all the new paid subscribers who joined the East Bay Insiders over the weekend. Thank you for your support!
—More inside:
MORE FROM WAHAB: Small-scale federal immigration actions in the East Bay and South Bay have not yet yielded arrests.
ICE fears are forcing some pregnant women in South County to eschew medical care, reportedly leading to deaths of two babies.
Wahab calls for local law enforcement to quickly investigate rumors of ICE raids in Alameda County.
On fighting the Trump administration: “We do not want to be on our heels anymore. We want to be on our toes.”
ELECTION 2026: Libby Schaaf ends bid for California state treasurer.
COUNTY NEWS: Longtime AC Transit Director Chris Peeples dies at 77.
