Congresswoman Luz Rivas Introduces INFORM Act to Require ICE to Notify Detainee Families of Transfers

Strategic Insights -

Congresswoman Luz Rivas (CA-29) has introduced the Immigration Notification for Facility Oversight and Relocation Management (INFORM) Act, which would require Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to notify detainees' immediate family when transferred between detention facilities. This move comes after the family of Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, a Reseda High School senior, was not notified of his transfer from the Adelanto Detention Facility to a holding facility in Arizona without warning. Congresswoman Rivas has been urging ICE to provide transparency and accountability, but has been met with resistance, including being denied access to the Adelanto Detention Facility during a recent oversight visit.

Key Takeaways:

  • The INFORM Act would require ICE to notify detainees' immediate family within 24 hours of a transfer between detention facilities.
  • The current law does not require ICE to notify family members of a detainee's transfer, except in the case of death.
  • Congresswoman Rivas has sent multiple letters to ICE demanding transparency and accountability, but has been ignored.
  • Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, a senior at Reseda High School, was detained while walking his dog in Van Nuys and held at the Los Angeles Detention Center and the Adelanto Detention Center before being transferred to a detention center in Arizona without notification of his family.
  • Congresswoman Rivas has been conducting oversight visits to detention facilities, including an unannounced visit to Adelanto Detention Facility on August 26.
  • The INFORM Act respects the dignity of immigrant families and promotes government transparency.

Statistics:

  • 1 in 5 immigrant families in Los Angeles and across the country do not know the whereabouts of their loved ones after they are detained by ICE (according to Congresswoman Rivas).
  • Congresswoman Rivas has made 3 Oversight visits to detention facilities in response to concerns about family separation and lack of transparency.
  • The INFORM Act would require ICE to notify immediate family members of a detainee's transfer within 24 hours.

Sources:

  • "Congresswoman Rivas Introduces the INFORM Act to Bring Transparency to ICE"
  • "Congresswoman Rivas Conducts Oversight Visit to Adelanto Detention Facility After ICE Transfers Detainee Without Notification"
  • Letter to ICE from Congresswoman Rivas on June 18, 2022 (exact language provided in the original text)
  • Letter to ICE from Congresswoman Rivas on August 8, 2022 (exact language provided in the original text)