By Dan GoodingNewsweek (July 15, 2025)
https://www.newsweek.com/la-traffic-ice-raids-claims-2098799Videos and screenshots of live-traffic data posted across social media suggest quieter routes and even unheard-of travel times across the sprawling metropolitan area, with some MAGA supporters — and even the White House itself — tying it to a theory that the roads are less crowded because scores of illegal immigrants have either been detained, self-deported or are afraid to leave their homes because of ICE.
When asked by Newsweek about those claims, California Democratic Senator Alex Padilla said "Trump's cruel and inhumane mass deportation agenda has turned communities across Los Angeles into ghost towns."...
Then over the past two weeks, with widespread ICE activity in the area, screenshots of Google Maps and other apps with traffic data have gone viral, showing — in some cases — relatively empty streets.
The theory made it onto Fox News, with host Jesse Watters stating on July 9: "There is no traffic on the freeway. You can go on the 405 and go 65 miles an hour. Trump has literally reduced traffic in Los Angeles."
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump's immigration policies and a Southern California native, reshared a video of a deserted 101 freeway, commenting: "What if, this entire time, the key to fixing our cities was enforcing our immigration laws?"
In the days following, those claims received pushback, with locals pointing out that the city is often quieter over the holiday weekend, and that traffic can be calmer in the summer with schools on their annual break. The video clip shared by Miller was posted on July 9 and was said to be taken that Monday morning, coming off the July 4th holiday...
