The visit comes as the Trump Administration reportedly launches a 45-day immigration enforcement surge in California
October 10, 2026 - LOS ANGELES, CA — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Immigration Subcommittee, conducted an unannounced oversight visit on Thursday to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding facility at the federal Edward R. Roybal Building in downtown Los Angeles, where he learned that immigration proceedings are being conducted hidden away from public view in the building’s B-18 basement area. These hearings are taking place in the basement despite the existence of an immigration court in the same building on the fourth floor. Proceedings in immigration court are generally open to the public, with limited exceptions. The building’s B-18 area is not accessible to the public, raising serious concerns about transparency and accountability as this Administration continues to carry out its mass deportation agenda.
The visit comes as the Trump Administration reportedly launched a 45-day immigration enforcement surge in California, raising urgent questions about yet another expansion of federal immigration enforcement and the transparency and due process afforded to people in government custody. This marks Padilla’s second unannounced visit to an immigration detention facility in as many weeks as he continues to conduct oversight of the Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement operations across California.
“The Trump Administration is ramping up its indiscriminate immigration enforcement across California, and we know what that means: arrest first, questions later — even for people with legal status and, in some cases, U.S. citizens,” said Senator Padilla. “That’s why these oversight visits are so important. We need to know what’s happening behind closed doors inside these detention facilities. The fact that immigration proceedings are taking place in the basement of a federal building that is not easily accessible by the public raises serious questions about transparency, access to legal representation, and due process for people in government custody. As a United States Senator, I have a constitutional responsibility to conduct oversight and hold this Administration accountable. I will continue showing up, asking questions, and demanding answers about how ICE and this Administration are treating people and whether their rights are being respected.”
The Trump Administration’s expanding immigration crackdown has raised growing concerns about the treatment of people detained by federal immigration authorities, the conditions in which they are held, and the lack of transparency surrounding enforcement operations.
Padilla has repeatedly conducted oversight visits to immigration detention facilities across California to examine conditions firsthand and demand accountability from federal officials. His visits have included facilities in California City, Otay Mesa, San Francisco International Airport, and now downtown Los Angeles. These efforts come as the Trump Administration expands its immigration crackdown while providing limited transparency into its enforcement and detention operations.
Source: Senator Alex Padilla
