Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Gaza Government Media Office: We are on the precipice of mass deaths on account of occupation closing all crossings for more than 140 days.
Gaza Government Media Office: World watches as Gaza is slaughtered without batting an eye.
Gaza Government Media Office: We stand before the greatest mass slaughter in modern history.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Toll of aid-seeking martyrs today has climbed to 17.
Tasnim news agency: Iran, E3 reach agreement to resume nuclear talks, no date agreed upon yet.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 18 martyrs killed by occupation fire in Gaza since morning, including 12 aid seekers.
Ghalibaf: Israeli aggression against countries targeted by global arrogance confirms that Damascus will not be the last Islamic capital to be targeted.
Ghalibaf: Iran stresses its support for Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf: Amid Israeli aggression on Damascus, we assert that Iran always stands on the side of the Syrian people.
US Embassy in Syria: Barrack and Abdi discussed practical steps toward integration into a unified Syria and agreed that the time for unity has come

ICE raids in LA trap families in harsh conditions: Lawyers

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Guardian
  • 12 Jun 2025 08:47
5 Min Read

Families detained in ICE raids across Los Angeles were held in basements with scarce food and water, as legal aid struggles to locate and support them.

Listen
  • x
  • U.S. National Guard are deployed around downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following a immigration raid protest the night before. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
    The US National Guard deployed around downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following an immigration raid protest the night before (AP)

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.

Single bottle to share

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.

Rapid deportations and due process violations

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.

In one case, a man was deported to Mexico just hours after his arrest without paperwork or a hearing. In another, agents told a detainee to sign a form to see a lawyer, believed by advocates to have been a deceptive way to obtain consent for voluntary departure. “Within hours, he was across the border,” said Johansen-Méndez, as reported by The Guardian.

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.

Conditions deteriorating in Adelanto detention center

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.

My staff has received reports of ICE agents within CA-31. It's important to know your rights. For more information and additional resources, visit https://t.co/fwJFASi2L7 pic.twitter.com/U9ACpauF3a

— Rep. Gil Cisneros (@RepGilCisneros) June 11, 2025

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.

Unclear legal justifications behind raids

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."

  • ICE raids
  • CBP
  • Trump immigration policy
  • LA protests
  • California National Guard
  • Los Angeles
  • Donald Trump
  • Latino Americans

Most Read

Algerian nurse stabbed in Germany

Murder of Algerian nurse in Germany sparks outcry, demands for justice

  • Europe
  • 14 Jul 2025
Credible reports, including some from Israeli media itself, indicate that Tel Aviv had pinned its hopes on what can only be described as a delusional plan. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Jebraily: Iran strikes rewrote regional deterrence rules - Exclusive

  • MENA
  • 15 Jul 2025
Al-Qassam Brigades fighters confront Israeli soldiers in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

3 Israeli soldiers killed amid Gaza battles: Israeli media

  • Palestine
  • 14 Jul 2025
Donald Trump, the Corporate Aristocracy and the Israelization of the World

Donald Trump, the Corporate Aristocracy and the Israelization of the World

  • Opinion
  • 15 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Senator: Israeli plan for US support to displace Palestinians ‘sick'
Politics

Dem. Senator slams Israeli push for Gaza expulsion as 'sickening'

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, center, and other clergymen gather at the Church of St. George Al Khidr on Monday, days after an arson attack at the site reportedly by Israeli settlers. (AFP - Getty Images)
Politics

Christians under Israeli settler fire in Jesus native Palestinian soil

Smoke from Israeli airstrikes on the northern Gaza Strip, on Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP)
Politics

650 days of Israeli war: 125,000 tons of bombs; 2,613 families effaced

Gaza Health Ministry: Starved Palestinians face imminent death
Politics

Gaza MoH issues warning: Starved Palestinians face imminent death

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS