Metro Data: LA Transit Ridership Fell Due to Immigration Raids

In the wake of violent immigration raids and widespread fear among immigrant communities, transit ridership in Los Angeles dropped in June, reports Joe Linton in Streetsblog LA.

Some ICE kidnappings have taken place on transit - at bus stops, at stations, on buses. Some bus operators have resisted ICE to protect riders, and advocates are pressing transit agencies to formally step this up. But a transit trip never starts and ends on transit. Most bus and rail riders start their trip on foot - traveling L.A. sidewalks exposed to ICE attack.

Notably, Metro’s ridership grew for the 30 months before that. “In June 2025, Metro saw 877,008 average weekday boardings, a 6.6 percent drop from last June's 939,615.”

Metro’s newly expanded K Line saw its highest ridership month in June, but much of this was riders shifting from other lines. According to Linton, “Even with the new connectivity and LAX station - and the highest ridership month in the three years the K Line has been open - ICE's dehumanizing raids significantly depressed ridership across the Metro system.”