Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, 18, was detained by immigration agents while walking his dog in Van Nuys days before starting his senior year. Immigration and Customs Enforcement transferred him from the Adelanto Detention Facility to a holding facility in Arizona without notifying relatives. He was scheduled for transfer to Louisiana, a major hub for deportation flights, but was removed from the flight and returned to Adelanto, where he remains held. U.S. Rep. Luz Rivas demanded answers about ICE's transfers and lack of notification and introduced legislation to require ICE to notify an immediate family member within 24 hours of any detainee transfer. ICE currently must notify family only in cases of detainee death.
Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz's family was stunned and heartbroken when the 18-year-old was grabbed by immigration agents while walking his dog in Van Nuys just days before he was set to start his senior year at Reseda Charter High School. This week, his family was caught off-guard once again when they learned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had transferred him to Arizona without notifying any relatives, according to the office of U.S. Rep. Luz Rivas (D-North Hollywood), which spoke to his family and reviewed ICE detention records.
Guerrero-Cruz was moved out of the Adelanto Detention Facility in San Bernardino County late Monday night and taken to a holding facility in Arizona in the middle of the desert, according to the congresswoman's office. On Tuesday night, he was scheduled to be transferred to Louisiana, a major hub for deportation flights, but at the last minute he was taken off the plane and sent back to Adelanto, where he is currently being held.
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," Rivas said in a statement. On Tuesday, Rivas introduced a bill that would require ICE to notify an immediate family member of a detainee within 24 hours of a detainee's transfer.
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