Staff Reporter
What started as an ordinary day for the Guerrero-Cruz family turned into a nightmare when 18-year-old Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while walking his dog in Van Nuys. The high school senior was only days away from starting his final year at Reseda Charter High School when agents took him into custody.
But the family’s ordeal did not stop there. This week, they were stunned once again when they learned that ICE had transferred the teenager to Arizona without informing any relatives, a move that U.S. Rep. Luz Rivas (D-North Hollywood) has strongly criticized.
According to Rivas’ office, which reviewed ICE detention records and spoke to the family, Guerrero-Cruz was quietly moved out of Adelanto Detention Facility in San Bernardino County late Monday night. He was then transported to a remote holding facility in Arizona’s desert region.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
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18-year-old high school senior detained by ICE in Van Nuys
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Transferred to Arizona without family notification
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Scheduled for Louisiana transfer, then returned to Adelanto
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Rep. Luz Rivas pushes for mandatory family notification within 24 hours
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Deportation to Chile pending after visa overstay
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ICE transfer flights increased 90% in three months
Family Left in the Dark
The transfer shocked his family, who had no idea where he was for hours. ICE did not provide any prior notification to his relatives.
On Tuesday night, the situation grew more complicated when Guerrero-Cruz was scheduled for another transfer to Louisiana, a key hub for deportation flights. However, at the last moment, 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,” said Rep. Luz Rivas in a statement. “We need to know why Benjamin was initially transferred to Arizona, why he was then slated to go to Louisiana, and why the family was not notified about his whereabouts during these transfers.”
A Push for Legislative Change
In response to cases like Guerrero-Cruz’s, Rivas introduced a new bill this week that would require ICE to notify an immediate family member within 24 hours of a detainee’s transfer.
“Currently, ICE only has to notify family members in the event of a detainee’s death,” Rivas explained. “Benjamin’s story is not unique. Many immigrant families in my district and across the country do not know where their loved ones are after they are taken by ICE.”
Why Was He Detained?
The Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to inquiries about this specific case. ICE has previously stated that Guerrero-Cruz is awaiting deportation to Chile after overstaying his visa, which required him to leave the United States by March 15, 2023.
Guerrero-Cruz was arrested on August 8 and initially held in downtown Los Angeles for a week. During that period, he was also briefly moved to a detention center in Santa Ana before being transferred to Adelanto on August 15, according to a former teacher who visited him in custody.
A National Trend of Frequent Transfers
The teen’s experience reflects a broader pattern of ICE’s frequent detainee transfers across the country, a practice that immigrant advocates say creates chaos and isolates detainees from their families and legal support.
Between May and July, ICE conducted 2,022 domestic transfer flights—a 90% jump compared to the same period last year, according to flight data compiled by immigrant rights advocate Tom Cartwright.
Cartwright suggests the surge in transfers may be tied to a need to optimize bed space as detention numbers have soared. “Detention figures rose from 39,152 on December 29 to 56,945 by July 26,” his report stated.
Advocates Call Policy “Cruel”
Immigrant advocates have condemned these practices.
“The Trump administration’s detention policies are cruel,” said Jorge-Mario Cabrera, spokesperson for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights L.A. “It seems they are detaining people for as long as possible and moving them from place to place for no reason other than because they can. These midnight transfers create chaos, confusion, and minimize access to legal representation.”
Legal Challenges and Communication Barriers
Attorneys also confirm an uptick in detainee transfers. Susham M. Modi, an immigration attorney in Houston, said detainees are often moved to states with fewer legal resources, such as Oklahoma, making it harder to find attorneys willing to take complex federal cases.
Families can use ICE’s Online Detainee Locator to find loved ones, but it is often outdated, and many families are unaware of how to use it. Additionally, detainees usually cannot make outgoing calls until someone deposits money into their account, adding another hurdle to communication.
The Human Impact
For the Guerrero-Cruz family, the experience has been traumatic. What began as a routine day in Van Nuys has turned into a series of late-night transfers, uncertainty, and unanswered questions.
Rivas and immigrant advocates argue that this case underscores the need for transparency, accountability, and humane treatment in immigration enforcement policies.
The case of Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz shines a light on the growing controversy surrounding ICE detainee transfers and lack of family notification. With detention numbers climbing and transfer flights surging by 90%, families are increasingly left in the dark about their loved ones’ whereabouts. Lawmakers like Rep. Luz Rivas are calling for urgent reforms to ensure transparency and accountability in immigration enforcement.
For Guerrero-Cruz and many others, these unexplained transfers highlight a critical question: Should ICE be allowed to move detainees across state lines without informing their families? Until there is a clear policy change, immigrant families will continue to face uncertainty, legal hurdles, and emotional distress in navigating the U.S. deportation process.
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