An employee of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office was detained by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on a Friday, according to an internal email.
L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman stated in an office-wide memo that the incident was "unacceptable" and that the employee was released and safe shortly after.
Hochman described the employee as a dedicated public servant and indicated the situation caused distress to the individual, their family, and the office. The specific reason for the detention was not immediately clear, and spokesmen for Hochman declined further comment, directing inquiries to ICE. ICE representatives did not respond to inquiries.
Two anonymous law enforcement officials with knowledge of the incident confirmed the employee was not a prosecutor and was not involved in protest activity.
Hochman contacted federal authorities on Friday to express concerns about the situation and to advocate for respect for community residents' rights, urging against similar future conduct.
In recent months, civil liberties groups have filed lawsuits against the Department of Justice, alleging that ICE and Border Patrol agents conducted stops based on race rather than reasonable suspicion during immigration raids. A federal judge in October found evidence that agents in L.A. County violated the 4th Amendment by using race, language, and vocation to establish "reasonable suspicion" for arrests. The American Civil Liberties Union has also filed a similar lawsuit regarding raids in Minneapolis. The Trump administration maintained that operations were tightly targeted at individuals with criminal records, though data indicated some arrested in Los Angeles during raids had no criminal record.