LOS ANGELES — Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted raids in Los Angeles during the summer of 2025, arresting individuals in neighborhoods, workplaces, parking lots, and department stores. These operations included the detention and subsequent deportation of Jesús, a long-term resident, and the arrest of Daniel, who has mental and intellectual disabilities.

Daniel, Christopher's uncle, was arrested by immigration agents in East Los Angeles on June 17, 2025. Daniel has mental and intellectual disability and limited speech, and his siblings had maintained his conservatorship for decades before his arrest. Daniel did not have an A number, a unique identification number assigned by the Department of Homeland Security to noncitizens, prior to his arrest.

Christopher used ICE's online detainee tracker to locate his uncle at the federal building in Los Angeles. National Guard members stationed outside the federal building blocked Christopher from visiting Daniel. Marines and National Guard members were also present at a rally against ICE raids at the federal building on July 4, 2025. Christopher stated, "I had written my script: 'I know you have my uncle in detention, here's his name, here is his birthday, he's under conservatorship, he has cognitive disabilities.'" He added, "I'm one of the youngest in the family. And I basically had to learn."

Jesús, Noémi's husband, was also detained and then deported to Mexico. Noémi and her son Gabriel were at Westchester Hand Wash in Los Angeles on June 16, 2026, where Jesús had worked for 10 years before his arrest. Jesús, who moved to Los Angeles in 1992, signed a document while in custody without his glasses. Afterward, he was detained in El Paso and deported to Kiní, Mexico; his family has since visited him there.

The family has submitted a petition for Jesús to receive a green card. Green card applications are currently backlogged and may take six years or longer to process. Dhelainy traveled to Sacramento to advocate for immigrant rights and speak about her family's situation. Noémi said, "He is my first love, my love at first sight." She also said, "When we become parents, we want them to do and have everything we didn't get the opportunity to do." Noémi expressed the difficulty of their situation, stating, "I wish somebody could tell me: 'OK, he's going to be there two years, or three years.'" She added, "The future is all just a blank."

Why It Matters

These events in Los Angeles during the summer of 2025 and 2026 illustrate the impact of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations on individuals and families. The arrests of Jesús and Daniel show challenges faced by long-term residents and individuals with disabilities within the immigration system, including issues of due process and family separation. The delays in green card processing, which can take six years or more, contribute to the uncertainty for families like Jesús's.

Christopher's efforts to locate and visit his uncle, and Dhelainy's advocacy in Sacramento, reflect ongoing efforts by families to navigate and influence immigration policies. The presence of military personnel at rallies and outside federal buildings shows community responses to these raids.