As violent anti-ICE protests continue to rage in Los Angeles for a fourth day, California lawmakers and immigration activists attempted to enter the Adelanto ICE facility, but were denied. The group claimed they were conducting a “wellness check” on detainees who had been arrested during the riots over the weekend. However, critics say it was nothing more than just a political stunt.
Reps. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena), Gil Cisneros (D-Covina), and Derek Tran (D-Cypress) attempted to enter the Adelanto ICE Processing Center but were met with padlocks on the gates preventing their entrance. Members of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) were also there. They accused the Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of breaking the law by keeping members of Congress from performing oversight duties.
“We have the right to conduct oversight of this detention facility. But as soon as we drove up they actually put this lock on this gate, and on that lock so we could not get in and exercise our lawful duties. That is not right,” Chu said.
🚨 JUST IN: Democratic representatives LOCKED OUT of ICE center in California.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 9, 2025
Agents went and placed a CHAIN LOCK on the gate when they found out the Democrats were showing up.
MASTERFUL 🤣pic.twitter.com/z4ZGGnPITh
Cisneros claimed he was blocked from conducting congressional oversight at the ICE facility, saying officials locked the gate, ignored his calls, and refused entry. He accused ICE and DHS, acting under Trump’s direction, of harassing the community and breaking the law by denying access.
“Trump is deliberately manufacturing chaos and inciting fear,” Cisneros said. “I will continue to press for answers as our community is under attack.”
Chu said they were at the ICE facility to demand answers about the so-called “unjustly” detained illegal immigrants after ICE targeted them in Los Angeles.
On Saturday, Rep. Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) also said he was denied entry to the facility where detained illegal immigrants were being held after causing chaos in the city.