Local Elected Officials Denied Access to LA Detention Center After ICE Arrests in Pasadena

Federal immigration authorities denied three elected officials access to a Los Angeles detention center Wednesday where they sought to check on constituents arrested during early morning raids in Pasadena, despite laws guaranteeing congressional oversight of such facilities, according to the officials.

Congresswoman Judy Chu, Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo and State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez attempted to visit the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday afternoon following Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations that resulted in at least six arrests.

Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo told Pasadena Now’s Eddie Rivera that ICE agents denied the trio access to the facility.

The denial comes despite federal law under P.L. 118-47 that guarantees Members of Congress access to Department of Homeland Security facilities for oversight purposes without prior notice.

ICE agents detained six people at a bus stop near Orange Grove Boulevard and Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena at approximately 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to multiple witnesses. The arrests occurred outside a Winchell’s Donut House, with witnesses reporting that three of those detained were seniors.

State Senator Pérez condemned the operation in an official statement: “The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions this morning in Pasadena paint another troubling picture of unidentifiable federal agents terrorizing and snatching vulnerable people off the street.”

The incident forced Madison Elementary School into lockdown during the morning raids, according to multiple sources.

Wednesday’s denial of access follows a pattern of congressional oversight being blocked at federal detention facilities. At least nine members of Congress have been denied entry to detention facilities in California, New York, and Illinois in recent weeks.

On June 8, Representatives Chu, Gil Cisneros, and Derek Tran were denied entry to Adelanto ICE Processing Center, despite Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons’ previous acknowledgment that “any Member of Congress has the right to show up for an inspection at one of our facilities in their oversight capability.”

Community response was swift, with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network issuing statements condemning the raids.

“Another six workers taken, another six families devastated, another area of our city and community terrorized by the cruel aggression of the Trump administration,” said Pablo Alvarado, National Day Laborer Organizing Network Co-Executive director.

Federal authorities have not provided public explanation for denying congressional access to the Metropolitan Detention Center, which houses approximately 1,000 inmates in pretrial, holdover, or designated status.

The Metropolitan Detention Center is located at 535 N. Alameda Street in downtown Los Angeles, adjacent to the Roybal Federal Building and Courthouse.

As of press time, the current status and location of the six individuals arrested in Pasadena remains unclear.