Report claims LA County declared state of emergency because ICE discovered tunnels, trafficking hubs: What we know

• After Los Angeles County declared a state of emergency in October 2025, a claim began to circulate that the reason behind this declaration was that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids had exposed the situation. “Tunnels, safe houses and foreign-backed smuggling centers” in the region.

• It turned out that the claim came from someone article At Gazetteller.com, an independent news site that receives article suggestions from readers.

• According to this article, the Departments of Defense and Justice were assisting ICE in an investigation into an alleged “covert logistics network” that used nonprofit organizations and individuals without legal status in the United States.dirty money, globalist data tracking operations and, in some cases, organ harvesting.”

• According to Gazetteller.com, ICE reportedly discovered this network during raids and the local government (Los Angeles County) attempted to block further federal access through a declaration of emergency.

• Los Angeles County Supervisors Lindsey P. Horvath and Janice Hahn, who co-promoted the emergency declaration, dismissed the emailed article as “nonsense.”

• Snopes could not independently verify Gazetteller.com’s claim. We reached out to the federal departments and agencies mentioned in the article to ask if they could confirm the details reported.

Sometime in October 2025 claim (archived) It has gone viral that Los Angeles County has declared a state of emergency after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids uncovered “tunnels, safe houses, and foreign-backed smuggling hubs” in the area.

Los Angeles County includes dozens of cities in southern California, the most populous of which is Los Angeles. County supervisors voted Will declare state of emergency on October 14, 2025 after ICE steps up enforcement measures June (archived).

Popular X And Facebook (archived) posts sharing the claim began with an all-caps headline: “LA DECLARES EMERGENCY AFTER TRUMP’S ICE RAIDS Reveals TUNNELS, SECURITY HOUSES, AND FOREIGN-SUPPORTED TRADING HISTORIES HIDDEN IN SANCTUARY PROGRAMS.”

The claim also spread on instagram (archived) And Topics (archived). Snopes readers asked whether the claim was true.

State of emergency in Los Angeles County declaration ICE did not mention its discoveries or the reported investigation. The state of emergency was necessary because ICE raids “created a climate of fear” that left people affected by enforcement at home, resulting in “long-term harm to workers, families, and businesses,” according to the memo.

It turned out that the claim came from someone article (archived) A story on Gazetteller.com containing the same all-caps headline seen in online claims. Gazetteller.com is an independent news site. article submissions from readers. This article turned out to be the sole source of the claim; Google, yahoo, bing And DuckDuckGo No similar news emerged from other news sources (archived, archived, archived, archived).

Gazetteller.com’s article claimed that ICE raids “uncover tunnels, safe houses, and foreign-backed smuggling hubs” within “sanctuary programs.” According to Gazetteller.com, the Departments of Defense and Justice were assisting ICE in an investigation into an alleged “secret network” using nonprofit organizations and individuals without legal status in the U.S.dirty money, globalist data tracking operations and, in some cases, organ harvesting.”

The article’s main claim was that the real reason Los Angeles County declared a state of emergency was to try to keep federal agents out following the discovery of an alleged “secret logistics network.” Snopes was unable to independently verify this claim. Therefore we leave this story unrated.

Los Angeles County Supervisors Lindsey P. Horvath and Janice Hahn introduced together Regarding the emergency declaration, he told Snopes via email: “This is ridiculous. There is not a grain of truth in this. What is true is that ICE is terrorizing our communities and dismantling laws that alienate people from their workplaces and families.”

We reached out to ICE and the Departments of Defense and Justice to ask if they could confirm the details in Gazetteller.com’s article and await responses to our questions. We also reached gazetteler.com Asking what sources they used for the article and waiting for a response.

LA County statement responds to ‘climate of fear’

While Gazetteller.com claimed it was ICE’s alleged discoveries that triggered the emergency declaration, Los Angeles County’s statement said it was the effects of the raids on local residents that prompted the county to act.

Los Angeles County wrote In the declaration of a state of emergency:

Enforcement actions and tactics have created a climate of fear, resulting in widespread disruptions to daily life and negative impacts on our regional economy as workplace attendance declines, businesses and restaurants close temporarily or permanently, and increased pressure on our local institutions such as schools, hospitals, and houses of worship.

Horvath, one of the common recommendations of the declaration, in question This will allow the county to “protect and stabilize” communities impacted by ICE actions.

In practice, declaration allowed authorities seek financial assistance and mutual aid outside the county to support individuals affected by ICE’s enforcement action. This may mean helping them financially or with free legal help. The declaration allowed the county to expedite hiring, contracting and purchasing to achieve this.

The statement did not mention any of the alleged ICE discoveries reported by Gazetteller.com. The article on the website cited “internal reports” indicating that Los Angeles County used the affidavit to obstruct federal surveillance. Snopes was not able to independently find or verify these reports.

DHS and ICE websites provide information about alleged discoveries

At the time of this writing, neither the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) nor ICE had publicly confirmed any details in Gazetteller.com’s article.

ICE has increased its operations in the city of Los Angeles starting June 6, according to Mayor Karen Bass. ICE in question On June 7, agents arrested 118 people without legal status in the United States in Los Angeles that week. this number above 5,000 arrests by the end of August.

Searches on DHS and ICE websites and social media Reports of tunnels in Los Angeles yielded no results. DHS, ICE, and other government agencies do not post information about all of their work online and may conceal discoveries in connection with ongoing investigations.

In summary, Snopes was unable to independently verify the central claim in Gazeteller.com’s article. We are waiting for answers from various departments and institutions to questions regarding the details in the article, which two Los Angeles County executives considered “nonsense.”

Los Angeles County’s state of emergency declaration was in effect at the time of this writing and could only be lifted by the Board of Supervisors. ICE and DHS enforcement actions also continued in Los Angeles and across the country despite the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.

Sources:

Canavan, Will. “Board Declares Immigration Emergency in Los Angeles County.” Advisor Lindsey P. Horvath, October 15, 2025, https://lindseyhorvath.lacounty.gov/immigration-emergency-declaration/.

Despite Riots and Attacks, ICE and Border Patrol Arrest Illegal Aliens, the Worst of the Worst Criminals, Including Rapists, Gang Members, Murderers, and Paedophiles in Los Angeles | Homeland Security. https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/08/27/despite-riots-and-assaults-ice-and-border-patrol-arrest-worst-worst-criminal. Access date: 24 October 2025.

DHS Releases Statement Regarding Violent Rioters Attacking ICE Officers in Los Angeles, California, Urges Democratic Politicians to Cut Down on Dangerous Rhetoric About ICE | Homeland Security. https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/06/07/dhs-releases-statement-violent-rioters-assaulting-ice-officers-los-angeles-ca-and. Access date: 24 October 2025.

ICE Arrests the Worst of the Worst: Child Sexual Molesters, Murderers, and Thieves | Homeland Security. https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/10/24/ice-arrests-worst-worst-child-sexual-predators-murderers-and-thieves. Access date: 24 October 2025.

“LA Declares an Emergency After TRUMP’S ICE RAIDS REVEALED TUNNELS, SAFE HOUSES, AND FOREIGN-SUPPORTED TRADING ENTRANCES HIDDEN IN SANCTUARY PROGRAMS!” Gazetteller.Com, 23 October 2025, https://gazetteller.com/la-declares-state-of-emergency-after-trumps-ice-raids-expose-tunnels-safehouses-and-foreign-backed-trafficking-hubs-hidden-inside-sanctuary-programs/.

“What Does Los Angeles’ Emergency Declaration Regarding ICE Raids Mean?” LAist, 15 October 2025, https://laist.com/news/politics/what-does-las-emergency-declaration-on-the-ice-raids-mean.

X et al. “LA County Declares State of Emergency to Combat ICE Immigration Raids.” Los Angeles Times, October 15, 2025, https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-10-15/la-county-declares-state-of-emergency-to-fight-back-against-ice-immigration-raids.

YEN, EDWARD et al. “Declaration of Local Emergency for Federal Immigration Action in Los Angeles County.” District Law Office, October 14, 2025, https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/208457.pdf.