Congresswoman Luz Rivas’ Statement on Reseda High School Senior Returned to California
LOS ANGELES —Congresswoman Luz Rivas (CA-29) released the following statement after receiving confirmation that Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, a senior at Reseda High School, has returned to the Adelanto Detention Center in California late last night. He was initially transferred across state lines, to Arizona, without U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) notifying his family:
“Yesterday, after I visited the Adelanto Detention Center to demand answers and probe into his unjustified detainment and transfer, Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz is back in California and closer to his family. The nightmare for him, his family, and thousands in similar situations is not over yet. I will not accept the current reality that ICE shuffles and transfers detainees without notifying their family to inflict psychological pain for all of those involved.
“Benjamin and his family deserve answers behind ICE’s inconsistent and chaotic decision-making process, including why Benjamin was initially transferred to Arizona, why he was slated to be transferred to Louisiana afterward, and why his family wasn’t notified of his whereabouts by ICE throughout this process.
“I will continue show up at detention centers and demand meetings with ICE leadership to get the answers Benjamin and his family deserve, and I will continue to give a voice to our most vulnerable and push the Trump Administration to do what is right.”
Background:
On August 26, Congresswoman Luz Rivas conducted an unannounced visit to Adelanto Detention Facility to conduct oversight and perform a wellness check on constituents who are currently being detained at the facility. This visit was in response to information that Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz was transferred across state lines to a detention facility in Arizona without notifying his immediate family.
ICE officials at the Adelanto Detention Facility broke the law and did not allow Congresswoman Rivas inside to conduct her oversight duties, as mandated by law. This was Congresswoman Rivas’ third oversight visit to a detention facility.
The INFORM Act will require that, within 24 hours, ICE must notify the immediate family member of a detainee, if the detainee is transferred to another detention center. Current law, rules, and regulations do not require ICE to notify family members when a detainee is transferred. The only instance ICE notifies the family is in the case of death.
Congresswoman Rivas sent multiple letters to ICE demanding transparency and accountability. On June 18, after Congresswoman Rivas conducted oversight at the Adelanto Detention Center, she sent a letter to ICE demanding an explanation on the decision-making process and criteria related to transferring detainees. ICE has ignored this inquiry.
On August 8, Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, a senior at Reseda High School, was detained while walking his dog in Van Nuys. He was held at the Los Angeles Detention Center and the Adelanto Detention Center before being transferred to a detention center in Arizona on August 26. Benjamin was scheduled to be transferred from Arizona to Louisiana, however, he was put on a plane back to California before takeoff. He is being held at the Adelanto Detention Center as of August 27.
ICE did not notify Benjamin’s family of any of these movements.
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