Immigrant Defenders Law Center Responds to Los Angeles Raids

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

June 7, 2025 

Press Contact:  media@immdef.org, 213-634-2186   

Immigrant Defenders Law Center Responds to Los Angeles Raids 

Los Angeles, CA – For the past 48 hours, Los Angeles has come under siege by federal agents conducting immigration raids at workplaces in Downtown Los Angeles, Paramount, and across several neighborhoods. These raids have led to arrests of upwards of 200 people in a day, increasing the pressure on limited spaces for holding detained people. ICE has been holding detained family members in basements of federal immigration facilities and separating children and mothers from their fathers. ImmDef staff reports that federal agents are refusing access to attorneys and family members for those held in the basement of federal immigration buildings. Devastating conditions of confinement are rapidly declining as people are denied food and water for over 12 hours, not given beds or bedding to sleep on, and being transferred to detention centers nationwide without access to counsel. These conditions will worsen and those with medical issues will be especially vulnerable as the ICE raids continue at this very moment.  

Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) President and CEO, Lindsay Toczylowski, released the following statement in response:  

“As attorneys, we are disgusted by DHS’ blatant betrayal of basic human dignity as we witness hundreds of people held in deplorable conditions without food, water, or beds for 12+ hours. People targeted by ICE are being denied access to attorneys and family visitation, but they’re not the only ones - our own members of Congress are being denied access to conduct their oversight duties. DHS is not above the law, but right now they are treating federal facilities like islands of lawlessness within our city. This is an urgent moment for our country to wake up to the terror ICE is inflicting on communities and take action.  

When our communities face attacks by ICE, our elected leaders must exercise their constitutional oversight authority to demand transparency and access to federal facilities even in the face of resistance. The administration is testing Los Angeles to see if we break under pressure, but we won’t back down because our communities are worth defending with everything we’ve got. We implore our elected leaders to be the eyes, ears, and voice of the families being torn apart, the workers being ripped from their jobs, and the saving grace of the hundreds of people being held in unspeakable conditions in ICE custody.” 

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The Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) is a next-generation social justice law firm that defends immigrant communities against injustices in the immigration system.  Our programs are a first step towards realizing the long-term goal of providing universal representation to all immigrants facing deportation. ImmDef is the largest non‐profit, pro bono provider of deportation defense in California, with offices in Los Angeles, Riverside, Santa Ana, and San Diego.