Lawyers: ICE Raids in LA Trap Families in Harsh Conditions
By Staff, Agencies
Families arrested during the recent ICE raids in Los Angeles were reportedly confined in office basements without sufficient food, water, or ventilation, The Guardian reported, citing immigration attorneys.
The Immigrant Defenders Law Center [ImmDef], which is offering legal aid, said one family, including three young children, was held for 48 hours inside an administrative building following their detention after an immigration court hearing.
The children, one as young as three, were given only a bag of chips, a small box of animal crackers, and a carton of milk for an entire day. On their first day, agents told the family there was no water available.
The following day, five people were given a single bottle to share. Attorneys said that although the room had a fan, it was pointed toward a guard, not the families.
“Because it was primarily men held in these facilities, they didn’t have separate quarters for families or for women,” said Yliana Johansen-Méndez, ImmDef’s chief program officer. A makeshift tent was later set up outside for women and children, with no beds or showers, according to The Guardian.
The family was ultimately moved to a so-called “family detention” facility in Dilley, Texas, a large center reopened under the Trump administration to detain children and parents together.
Lawyers said they were able to obtain the details only after the detainees were moved out of state. These are the first reports to emerge on the treatment of those caught up in the immigration crackdown in California.
As reported by The Guardian, to quell protests, the Trump administration deployed military troops, despite California leaders’ objections. The Department of Homeland Security [DHS] reported 118 arrests on Friday and over the weekend.
Additional arrests occurred earlier in the week at courthouses and immigration offices. Local advocacy groups like ImmDef have identified at least 80 more cases, though many names do not appear in DHS online detainee databases.
Many arrested individuals were temporarily held in improvised jail spaces, courthouses, and office buildings, before being transferred to detention centers in the California high desert or Texas. Attorneys reported that family deportations in California happened rapidly, with some individuals denied access to legal representation.
At a news conference outside Ambiance Apparel, a downtown warehouse where raids occurred, Landi said her husband had gone to work as usual, unaware that “he will be kidnapped by immigration.”
ICE initially denied detaining him. “After much effort and struggle from our lawyer, ICE simply confirmed that he was there,” she added. Families were also barred from delivering jackets or medication to their loved ones.
Lawyers reported worsening conditions at the Adelanto detention center, where many of those arrested were later taken. “ICE’s excuse was, they’re still processing all the new people,” said Johansen-Méndez.
According to The Guardian, despite advance calls, ImmDef was only allowed to meet a few of the 40 clients believed to be held there. Some detainees had already been deported.
Inside Adelanto, meals arrived late, beds were scarce, and many slept on the floors of recreational rooms. One man’s health deteriorated significantly after he was denied medication for three days.
On Sunday, Democratic representatives Gilbert R Cisneros Jr, Judy Chu, and Derek Tran were blocked from entering the facility, The Guardian reported.
DHS has not responded to questions from The Guardian about the denial of access to lawyers and lawmakers.
Attorneys are now attempting to understand the full scope and legality of the ICE raids in Los Angeles. A key concern is the presence of Customs and Border Protection [CBP] officers, who are legally allowed to conduct warrantless stops only within 100 miles of the border.
Lawyers suspect the federal government is using the Pacific coastline as justification for CBP’s operations in Los Angeles, arguing it constitutes a “border", according to The Guardian.
“They’re counting the entire coastline as a port of entry,” said Johansen-Méndez. “It felt almost like an urban legend that it could be done. But at this point, it’s just they’re everywhere, literally.”
Attorneys from ImmDef and allied groups are compiling testimonies to examine whether racial profiling played a role in who was stopped and arrested.
“Did they just ask everyone in the room for their papers or just some people?” asked Johansen-Méndez. “We can’t get that information because we can’t talk to everyone."
