Visiting a loved one arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents is a process filled with uncertainty, anguish, and endless waits. Relatives bring clothes, food, and medicine, but others just want to confirm that the person is indeed being held there.

This has become daily life at the processing center located in the basement of a federal building in downtown Los Angeles. Dozens of people arrive at different times hoping to see, even for a few minutes, a relative detained in an ICE raid.

The wait takes an emotional toll

According to the AP news agency, at the rear entrance of an underground parking garage, mothers, daughters, uncles, and nieces gather in front of a dark staircase that leads to door B-18. There they ring the bell, wait in the sun, and often leave without answers or confirmation that their loved ones are even there.

“We call every day, they don’t give us clear answers… they want you to give up,” said Emily, the niece of a detained Hispanic man.

Some lawyers, like Kim Carver, even search for their clients without knowing for sure if they are still in the building. “Since then, it’s been a race to try to find her,” lamented Carver, who was trying to locate a Honduran transgender woman who was transferred to Texas without warning.

Brief Visits and Questionable Conditions

Family visits, when they occur, are short and subject to strict rules. Yadira Almadaz, for example, managed to see her niece’s boyfriend for only five minutes. "It breaks my heart to see a young man crying because he's hungry and thirsty," she said, visibly affected as she left. The young man, detained while seeking asylum, was still dressed in the same clothes a week later. He said he had only been given cookies and chips.

Other detainees have drunk toilet water due to lack of access to basic supplies, the AP reported, clarifying that ICE did not respond to requests for comment.

A System Without Guarantees

Christina Jiménez tried unsuccessfully to find her stepfather, detained while looking for work at a Home Depot, using official ICE systems. Two days later, it was her phone that revealed his location at the detention center. “He could have been sick and still tried to go to work,” she recalled.

The frustration is shared by lawyers who also cannot deliver food or medication. “They’ve only given him one bottle of water in two days,” said one of them, carrying bags full of supplies that they were not allowed to bring in.

Warrantless Raids and Growing Protests

Organizations such as CHIRLA, ACLU SoCal, and United Farm Workers have publicly denounced the federal government for carrying out warrantless arrests. “They’re making extremely illegal arrests,” said Angelica Salas, president of CHIRLA. The massive raids in Los Angeles, which began in earnest on June 6, have sparked protests at the federal complex. The walls still display messages condemning President Donald Trump, and many families say they learned about the arrests from videos on social media showing masked agents in everyday places like car washes, construction companies, and taco stands. You may be interested in: Venezuelan woman arrested by ICE desperately asks to be deported with her son Government sends 200 Marines to support ICE agents in Florida Trump administration shields itself to stop lawsuits against “Alligator Alcatraz”

The massive raids in Los Angeles, which began with greater force on June 6, have sparked protests at the federal complex.

The walls still display messages repudiating President Donald Trump and many families say they learned about the arrests through videos on social media, where masked agents appear in everyday places like car washes, construction companies and taco stands.

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Venezuelan woman arrested by ICE desperately asks to be deported with her son. Government sends 200 Marines to support ICE agents in Florida. Trump government shields itself to stop lawsuits against “Alligator Alcatraz”