California Lawmaker Introduces Bill Requiring ICE to Notify Families of Detainee Transfers After 18-Year-Old Is Taken Across The Country

Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, an 18-year-old high school senior from California, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in early August while walking his family's dog. The teenager, originally born in Chile, has since been transferred between multiple detention centers across several states without any notification to his family, according to relatives and lawmakers.

On Aug. 8, Guerrero-Cruz was detained by immigration officials while walking his family's dog in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was detained just days prior to the start of his senior year at Reseda High School.

In a statement to KTLA-TV, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described Guerrero-Cruz as "an illegal alien from Chile" who had "overstayed his visa by more than two years," violating the terms of the Visa Waiver Program. DHS said he was required to leave the United States by March 15, 2023.

A recent report by the Los Angeles Times highlighted what it described as ICE's "chaotic" handling of Guerrero-Cruz's case. The lack of communication has drawn criticism from the teenager's family and public officials, including U.S. Rep. Luz Rivas, who this week introduced a bill that would require ICE to notify a detainee's immediate family member within 24 hours of any facility transfer.

According to the report, Guerrero-Cruz was initially held for a week in downtown Los Angeles before being taken on an unexplained trip to a facility in Santa Ana. He was then transferred to Adelanto, about two hours away, on Aug. 15, according to a former teacher who visited him. On Aug. 25, ICE moved him to a facility in Arizona, with plans to transfer him to Louisiana the next day.

At the last minute, however, Guerrero-Cruz was removed from the flight and returned to Adelanto, where he remains in custody.

"Benjamin's story of being detained and sent across state lines without warning or notification is like many other detainees in Los Angeles and across the country," Rivas said in a statement. "No family should have to experience the nightmare the Trump administration is subjecting Benjamin and his family to—but that is a reality too many families are living through each day."

Rivas this week introduced the Immigration Notification for Facility Oversight and Relocation Management (INFORM) Act, which would require ICE to notify an immediate family member whenever a detainee is transferred between facilities. According to the Times, ICE currently only notifies families in the event of a detainee's death.

On Aug. 26, Rivas attempted to visit the Adelanto Detention Facility to conduct a wellness check on constituents, but ICE officials denied her entry, according to a statement from her office.

"Many immigrant families in my district do not know the whereabouts of their loved ones after they are detained by ICE," Rivas said. "I have been urging ICE leadership to answer for their chaotic, inconsistent and cruel decision-making processes that have torn apart families across the country."

As noted by the report, the teenager's experience is one that many other individuals detained by ICE share, as reflected by data collected by immigrant rights advocate Tom Cartwright. According to his database on ICE's flights, the agency conducted 2,022 domestic transfer flights from May through July, a 90% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

In July alone, Cartwright recorded 727 domestic shuttle flights, the highest level since he started keeping track in January 2020.

Jorge-Mario Cabrera, spokesperson for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, told the Times ICE's practice of moving detainees without explanation appears to be a deliberate show of power.

"The fact that these dumbfounding transfers in the middle of the night cause chaos, confusion and minimize access to legal representation does not seem to bother them one bit," Cabrera told the Times.