Families allegedly detained by ICE during annual status check-ins, Mayor Bass says

Mayor Bass says city of LA was a "test case" for federal government

LA Mayor Karen Bass said she believes the city is being used as "test case" and an "experiment" for the federal government. During a press conference Monday evening, she reiterated her point that the National Guard was not needed and the initial raids on Friday weren't warranted.

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said families who were attending their required annual status check-ins with immigration were being detained, despite having the proper paperwork.

Bass said these allegations will cause fearmongering among residents who would otherwise follow the proper protocol when it comes to updating their immigration status in the United States, but will now be "pushed" into a potentially illegal situation. 

"I heard, today, something that was so over the top. Can you imagine having your annual appointment to ICE. You're here, you might not be a citizen, but you have papers and you're told that you need to go to the facility to check in, and then you are detained? And you go with your family and your kids and the whole family is detained?" Bass said during a news conference on Monday.

"I can't emphasize enough the level of fear and terror that is in Angelenos right now," Bass added. 

Rep. Laura Friedman said her office has received reports of people being detained by ICE during their court appointments. 

"The president himself said he wanted to focus on people who are dangerous, people who are gang members, people who are criminals. I have no problem with going after people- whether they have a visa or they don't- who are criminals in this country committing crimes. But when we see people who are working as gardeners, people who are working in the back of restaurants, being picked up, that's not what the president said he was going to use precious ICE resources on," Rep. Friedman told FOX 11. 

People reportedly detained at courthouses during immigration appointment

Rep. Laura Friedman talks about the anti-ICE protests in LA, the fear the raids have caused on families, and the involvement of the federal government.

News of these detainments comes amid ongoing anti-ICE protests across Los Angeles, which has entered its fourth day. 

Inhumane conditions reported at federal building 

As many are being held at the Roybal Federal building in downtown LA, eyewitness accounts and attorney reports detail overcrowded conditions, with individuals held in the building's basement, conference rooms, and even outdoor tents due to lack of space. People are being processed and moved to facilities out of state that have room, as there is none left in the local facilities.

Detainees have reportedly been deprived of food and water for 12 to 24 hours or more, with some families, including young children, forced to endure these conditions overnight. Additionally, lights in the building reportedly shut off at 5 p.m., leaving families in complete darkness.

One attorney reported a client was being held without food or water from 2 p.m. until the next day, while his wife and two children waited over 12 hours. There are also reports of a 20-year-old woman being held alone, separated from her mother, despite having legally checked in with ICE for years and being days from a court date for an asylum process. 

Attorneys inside said this began Tuesday, June 3 with more than a hundred people in custody. Local immigration groups protesting outside the federal building and the Metropolitan Holding Facility say people are being denied due process and that the federal building basement is not a fitting location to hold people. 

What led to the federal response in Los Angeles?

The backstory:

Tensions have escalated in Los Angeles following President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy more than 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to respond to ongoing immigration protests. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta have called the move unlawful, accusing Trump of manufacturing chaos to justify federal force.

Monday’s protest began peacefully but turned volatile as the evening progressed. 

RELATED: Marines deployed to Los Angeles as anti-ICE protests intensify

What's next:

California officials have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration to challenge the National Guard deployment. Meanwhile, federal forces under Task Force 51 continue to increase their presence in Los Angeles. It’s unclear whether any investigation is underway into who handed out riot gear—or why they weren’t arrested.

RELATED: Trump calls for Newsom's arrest, calls him 'grossly incompetent'