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Fact check: Is ICE detaining legal migrants without identifying themselves in los angeles?
1. Summary of the results
The evidence strongly indicates that ICE has been detaining migrants, including those with legal status, during routine check-ins at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles [1]. Multiple sources confirm that hundreds of immigrants, including asylum seekers and families with children, were detained and held in the building's basement with limited access to food and water [2]. A specific case involves a 20-year-old woman who had been legally checking in with ICE for years being separated from her mother during detention [2]. Attorney Lizbeth Mateo documented cases of families with U.S. citizen children and those with previous stays of removal being detained [1].
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
Several important contextual elements are missing from the original question:
- ICE and DHS maintain these detentions were based on final removal orders [1]
- The detentions are occurring against the backdrop of tension between California's sanctuary state laws and federal immigration enforcement [3]
- Immigrants have constitutional rights regardless of their immigration status [4]
- Local community organizations, such as the Community Self-Defense Coalition, are actively monitoring and responding to ICE activities in Los Angeles [5]
- Some detainees are being transferred to facilities like the Glendale City Jail [3]
3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement
The original question oversimplifies a complex situation where multiple stakeholders have different interests:
*Beneficiaries of the current narrative:
- Immigration advocacy groups benefit from highlighting potential rights violations to push for reforms
- ICE and DHS benefit from framing these actions as routine enforcement of final removal orders [1]
- Local law enforcement agencies may benefit from federal detention contracts [3]
Important nuances:*
- The situation involves not just "legal migrants" but a complex mix of statuses, including asylum seekers, those with stays of removal, and families with U.S. citizen children [2] [1]
- Representative Jimmy Gomez has specifically condemned these practices, noting that law-abiding asylum seekers who followed all rules were being treated like criminals [2]
- The detentions appear to be part of a broader pattern of increased deportation efforts [4]