LA immigrant families reportedly detained by ICE at routine check-ins sparks human rights concerns

LOS ANGELES - Alarming reports from the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles indicate that immigrant families, including asylum seekers and children, are being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during what were previously considered routine check-ins. 

This concerning shift in practice has sparked immediate human rights concerns and demands for an investigation from prominent officials and advocacy groups, who describe conditions for those held as inhumane.

Inhumane conditions reported at federal building 

What we know:

Immigrants, many asylum seekers with children, were reportedly detained by ICE after arriving for scheduled check-ins at the Roybal Federal Building. 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, 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 they're saying:

Representative Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), whose district includes the Roybal Federal Building, condemned the detentions. 

"These are very disturbing reports from L.A.'s Roybal Federal Building," said Gomez. "Law-abiding asylum seekers — many with kids — are being detained after showing up for routine ICE check-ins. No food. No water. Locked in holding rooms for over 12 to 24 hours. These are not criminals. These are families who followed the rules. Filed the paperwork. Showed up on time. Instead, they're being treated like they broke the law just for seeking asylum."

Gomez further added, "This isn’t ‘just how the system works.’ This is a system breaking people. Bureaucracy weaponized against those who complied. DHS—I demand to go in to get answers. We need to know why law-abiding asylum seekers are being detained, separated, and treated like criminals."

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) also issued a national alert and demanded an immediate federal investigation. Roman Palomares, LULAC National President and Chairman of the Board, stated, "This is beyond unacceptable — it is unconscionable. The notion that our federal courthouse — a place that symbolizes the pursuit of justice — is now being used as a de facto detention facility under ICE authority, is an affront to every value our nation is supposed to uphold. We are demanding answers: Who is being held, who is holding them, and under what legal justification? We must not allow the courthouse to become a cage."

Palomares continued, "It is inconceivable that in the United States of America, a nation that claims to value the rule of law, we are seeing such blatant disregard for due process, civil rights, and human dignity. These are individuals whose last hope rests with the U.S. judicial system. Instead, they are being detained in the very place they came to for justice. This violates our own constitution and international human rights standards."

The other side:

While no specific statement from ICE or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding these particular allegations at the Roybal Federal Building is currently available, ICE operates under a broad mandate to enforce U.S. immigration laws. 

According to attorneys on site, ICE claims it can detain people indefinitely even if they have a "legal stay," which is generally a temporary suspension of a deportation order. 

From ICE's general operational perspective, the presence of a legal stay does not always preclude detention, as individuals may still be deemed ultimately removable under immigration statutes or present other factors that, in ICE's view, warrant continued custody. Enforcement actions, including arrests at check-ins, are part of ICE's stated mission to apprehend individuals violating immigration laws.

Nationwide arrests 

Big picture view:

These reported detentions in LA align with a broader federal effort to significantly escalate immigration arrests nationwide. Internal government data shows ICE arrests during President Donald Trump's second term have already surpassed 100,000 this week, including over 2,000 arrests on both Tuesday and Wednesday. This marks a dramatic increase from the daily average of approximately 660 arrests during the first 100 days of the Trump administration.

These numbers reportedly move closer to the stated goal of top administration officials, such as White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who has pushed for ICE to conduct "a minimum" of 3,000 arrests each day. 

This aggressive expansion, which includes arresting migrants and asylum-seekers at court hearings or check-in appointments, is seen by critics as deterring individuals from complying with the legal process and creating a dangerous situation for immigrant communities.

What's next:

LULAC is urgently calling for a full and immediate investigation by the Department of Justice and the Office of the Inspector General. They also demand an accounting from ICE and federal court officials regarding the legal basis and circumstances of these detentions, a halt to any deportation actions until due process is fully afforded to every individual in custody, and oversight by members of Congress, particularly the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.

Representative Gomez has also demanded access to the facility. As the son of immigrants, Gomez has been a strong advocate for immigrant families, previously filing an amicus brief urging the court to uphold the 14th amendment’s guarantee of citizenship and supporting the Dream and Promise Act of 2025. 

He has also called on the IRS and DHS to halt the misuse of confidential taxpayer data for immigration enforcement and is leading efforts to reinstate the Citizenship and Assimilation (C&A) Grant Program.

ImmigrationLos AngelesInstastoriesDowntown LA