{"id":33058,"date":"2025-07-02T16:47:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T16:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/33058\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T16:47:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T16:47:14","slug":"families-seek-answers-as-they-wait-outside-an-la-immigration-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/33058\/","title":{"rendered":"Families seek answers as they wait outside an LA immigration center"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 At a federal immigration building in downtown Los Angeles guarded by U.S. Marines<\/a>, daughters, sons, aunts, nieces and others make their way to an underground garage and line up at a door with a buzzer at the end of a dirty, dark stairwell. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s here where families, some with lawyers, come to find their loved ones after they\u2019ve been arrested by federal immigration agents.<\/p>\n

For immigrants without legal status<\/a> who are detained in this part of Southern California, their first stop is the Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a> processing center in the basement of the federal building. Officers verify their identity and obtain their biometrics before transferring them to detention facilities. Upstairs, immigrants line up around the block for other services, including for green cards and asylum applications. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People line up outside the Los Angeles Federal Building in Los Angeles, housing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

People line up outside the Los Angeles Federal Building in Los Angeles, housing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

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On a recent day, dozens of people arrived with medication, clothing and hope of seeing their loved one, if only briefly. After hours of waiting, many were turned away with no news, not even confirmation that their relative was inside. Some relayed reports of horrific conditions inside, including inmates who are so thirsty that they have been drinking from the toilets. ICE did not respond to emailed requests for comment.<\/p>\n

Just two weeks ago, protesters marched around the federal complex<\/a> following aggressive raids<\/a> in Los Angeles that began June 6 and have not stopped. Scrawled expletives about President Donald Trump still mark the complex\u2019s walls.<\/p>\n

Those arrested are from a variety of countries, including Mexico<\/a>, Guatemala, India, Iran, China and Laos. About a third of the county\u2019s 10 million residents are foreign-born. <\/p>\n

Many families learned about the arrests from videos circulating on social media showing masked officers in parking lots at Home Depots, at car washes and in front of taco stands. <\/p>\n

Around 8 a.m., when attorney visits begin, a few lawyers buzz the basement door called \u201cB-18\u201d as families wait anxiously outside to hear any inkling of information.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People line up outside the Los Angeles Federal Building in Los Angeles, housing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

People line up outside the Los Angeles Federal Building in Los Angeles, housing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

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9 a.m.<\/p>\n

Christina Jimenez and her cousin arrive to check if her 61-year-old stepfather is inside. <\/p>\n

Her family had prepared for the possibility of this happening to the day laborer who would wait to be hired outside a Home Depot in the LA suburb of Hawthorne. They began sharing locations when the raids intensified. They told him that if he were detained, he should stay silent and follow instructions.<\/p>\n

Jimenez had urged him to stop working, or at least avoid certain areas as raids increased. But he was stubborn and \u201calways hustled.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"U.S.<\/p>\n

U.S. citizen Christina Jimenez looks for her step father originally from Guatemala, who was detained by federal agents, outside the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

U.S. citizen Christina Jimenez looks for her step father originally from Guatemala, who was detained by federal agents, outside the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe could be sick and he\u2019s still trying to make it out to work,\u201d Jimenez said.<\/p>\n

After learning of his arrest, she looked him up online on the ICE Detainee Locator but couldn\u2019t find him. She tried calling ICE to no avail.<\/p>\n

Two days later, her phone pinged with his location downtown. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom\u2019s in shock,\u201d Jimenez said. \u201cShe goes from being very angry to crying, same with my sister.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jimenez says his name into the intercom \u2013 Mario Alberto Del Cid Solares. After a brief wait, she is told yes, he\u2019s there.<\/p>\n

She and her cousin breathe a sigh of relief \u2014 but their questions remain.<\/p>\n

Her biggest fear is that instead of being sent to his homeland of Guatemala, he will be deported to another country, something the Supreme Court recently ruled<\/a> was allowed.<\/p>\n

9:41 a.m.<\/p>\n

By mid-morning, Estrella Rosas and her mother have come looking for her sister, Andrea Velez, a U.S. citizen. A day earlier, they saw Velez being detained after they dropped her off at her marketing job at a shoe company downtown. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom told me to call 911 because someone was kidnapping her,\u201d Rosas said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Margarita<\/p>\n

Margarita Velez, mother of Andrea Velez, 32, a U.S. citizen of South L.A, pictured on her current U.S. passport, is joined by her younger, daughter, Estrella Rosas, 17, left, looking for her location after ICE agents detained Andrea Velez during an immigration raid in downtown, outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

Margarita Velez, mother of Andrea Velez, 32, a U.S. citizen of South L.A, pictured on her current U.S. passport, is joined by her younger, daughter, Estrella Rosas, 17, left, looking for her location after ICE agents detained Andrea Velez during an immigration raid in downtown, outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

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Stuck on a one-way street, they had to circle the block. By the time they got back, she says they saw Velez in handcuffs being put into a car without license plates.<\/p>\n

Velez\u2019s family believes she was targeted for looking Hispanic and standing near a tamale stand.<\/p>\n

Rosas has her sister\u2019s passport and U.S. birth certificate, but learns she is not there. They find her next door in a federal detention center. She was accused of obstructing immigration officers, which the family denies, but is released the next day. <\/p>\n

11:40 a.m.<\/p>\n

About 20 people are now outside. Some have found cardboard to sit on after waiting hours. <\/p>\n

One family comforts a woman who is crying softly in the stairwell.<\/p>\n

Then the door opens, and a group of lawyers emerge. Families rush to ask if the attorneys could help them.<\/p>\n

\"Som<\/p>\n

\n Som Xin, originally from Laos, holds a part number number provided by phone by her detained boyfriend, as she inquires about his whereabouts outside the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility looking to find him in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)\n <\/p>\n

Som Xin, originally from Laos, holds a part number number provided by phone by her detained boyfriend, as she inquires about his whereabouts outside the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility looking to find him in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

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\"People<\/p>\n

\n People line up outside the Los Angeles Federal Building in Los Angeles, housing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)\n <\/p>\n

People line up outside the Los Angeles Federal Building in Los Angeles, housing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

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Kim Carver, a lawyer with the Trans Latino Coalition, says she planned to see her client, a transgender Honduran woman, but she was transferred to a facility in Texas at 6:30 that morning.<\/p>\n

Carver accompanied her less than a week ago for an immigration interview and the asylum officer told her she had a credible case. Then ICE officers walked in and detained her.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince then, it\u2019s been just a chase trying to find her,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

12:28 p.m.<\/p>\n

As more people arrive, the group begins sharing information. One person explains the all-important \u201cA-number,\u201d the registration number given to every detainee, which is needed before an attorney can help.<\/p>\n

They exchange tips like how to add money to an account for phone calls. One woman says $20 lasted three or four calls for her.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Family<\/p>\n

Family members wait outside the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility looking to find their family members detained by federal agents in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

Family members wait outside the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility looking to find their family members detained by federal agents in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

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Mayra Segura is looking for her uncle after his frozen popsicle cart was abandoned in the middle of the sidewalk in Culver City. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey couldn\u2019t find him in the system,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

12:52 p.m.<\/p>\n

Another lawyer, visibly frustrated, comes out the door. She\u2019s carrying bags of clothes, snacks, Tylenol, and water that she says she wasn\u2019t allowed to give to her client, even though he says he had been given only one water bottle over the past two days.<\/p>\n

The line stretches outside the stairwell into the sun. A man leaves and returns with water for everyone. <\/p>\n

Nearly an hour after family visitations are supposed to begin, people are finally allowed in. <\/p>\n

2:12 p.m.<\/p>\n

Still wearing hospital scrubs from work, Jasmin Camacho Picazo comes to see her husband again.<\/p>\n

She brought a sweater because he had told her he was cold, and his back injury was aggravated from sleeping on the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe mentioned this morning (that) people were drinking from the restroom toilet water,\u201d Picazo says. <\/p>\n

\"Civil<\/p>\n

\n Civil Rights Attorney Luis Carrillo, left, stands with clients, Margarita Flores, second from right, and her daughter, Estrella Rosas, far right, outside the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility looking to find her daughter, Andrea Velez, a U.S. citizen who was detained by federal agents in an immigration raid downtown Los Angeles, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)\n <\/p>\n

Civil Rights Attorney Luis Carrillo, left, stands with clients, Margarita Flores, second from right, and her daughter, Estrella Rosas, far right, outside the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility looking to find her daughter, Andrea Velez, a U.S. citizen who was detained by federal agents in an immigration raid downtown Los Angeles, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

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\"Som<\/p>\n

\n Som Xin, originally from Laos, inquires about hiring immigration Attorney Kim Carver as she exits the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility, while trying to find her boyfriend’s location after he was detained by federal agents in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)\n <\/p>\n

Som Xin, originally from Laos, inquires about hiring immigration Attorney Kim Carver as she exits the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility, while trying to find her boyfriend’s location after he was detained by federal agents in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/p>\n

\n A teenage boy shows a social media post showing the arrest of his father by federal agents, as he stands outside the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility looking for the location of his father in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)\n <\/p>\n

A teenage boy shows a social media post showing the arrest of his father by federal agents, as he stands outside the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility looking for the location of his father in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/p>\n

\n A man sits on a bench next to a poster left from recent protests against federal immigration raids, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)\n <\/p>\n

A man sits on a bench next to a poster left from recent protests against federal immigration raids, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

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On her phone, she shows footage of his car left on the side of the road after his arrest. The window was smashed and the keys were still in the ignition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t stop crying,\u201d Picazo says. <\/p>\n

Her son keeps asking: \u201cIs Papa going to pick me up from school?\u201d<\/p>\n

2:21 p.m.<\/p>\n

More than five hours after Jimenez and her cousin arrive, they see her stepfather.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was sad and he\u2019s scared,\u201d says Jimenez afterwards. \u201cWe tried to reassure him as much as possible.\u201d <\/p>\n

She wrote down her phone number, which he had not memorized, so he could call her. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"U.S.<\/p>\n

U.S. citizen Christina Jimenez, right, waits for news about her step father originally from Guatemala, who was detained by federal agents, outside the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

U.S. citizen Christina Jimenez, right, waits for news about her step father originally from Guatemala, who was detained by federal agents, outside the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

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2:57 p.m.<\/p>\n

More people arrive as others are let in.<\/p>\n

Yadira Almadaz comes out crying after seeing her niece\u2019s boyfriend for only five minutes. She says he was in the same clothes he was wearing when he was detained a week ago at an asylum appointment in the city of Tustin. He told her he\u2019d only been given cookies and chips to eat each day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt breaks my heart seeing a young man cry because he\u2019s hungry and thirsty,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Yadira<\/p>\n

Yadira Almaraz, originally from Managua, Nicaragua, cries outside the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility after visiting a young family member detained by federal agents in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

Yadira Almaraz, originally from Managua, Nicaragua, cries outside the ICE Los Angeles Staging Facility after visiting a young family member detained by federal agents in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

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3:56 p.m.<\/p>\n

Four minutes before visitation time is supposed to end, an ICE officer opens the door and announces it\u2019s over.<\/p>\n

One woman snaps at him in frustration. The officer tells her he would get in trouble if he helped her past 4 p.m.<\/p>\n

More than 20 people are still waiting in line. Some trickle out. Others linger, staring at the door in disbelief.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People line up outside the Los Angeles Federal Building in Los Angeles, housing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

People line up outside the Los Angeles Federal Building in Los Angeles, housing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 At a federal immigration building in downtown Los Angeles guarded by U.S. Marines, daughters,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":33059,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[27689,1582,2059,276,1613,69,57,18807,409,83,27688,27687,2961,27690,1612,224,5337,27686,27692,2222,80,2068,2065,61,27691],"class_list":{"0":"post-33058","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-andrea-velez","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-ca-state-wire","11":"tag-california","12":"tag-central-america","13":"tag-donald-trump","14":"tag-general-news","15":"tag-guatemala","16":"tag-immigration","17":"tag-iran","18":"tag-jasmin-camacho-picazo","19":"tag-kim-carver","20":"tag-la","21":"tag-laos","22":"tag-latin-america","23":"tag-los-angeles","24":"tag-losangeles","25":"tag-mario-alberto-del-cid-solares","26":"tag-mayra-segura","27":"tag-mexico","28":"tag-politics","29":"tag-race-and-ethnicity","30":"tag-u-s-immigration-and-customs-enforcement","31":"tag-u-s-news","32":"tag-yadira-almadaz"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114784661981346714","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}