Some people detained at Los Angeles International Airport under President Donald Trump’s targeted travel ban were held for more than 24 hours without adequate food, water and blankets or access to phones or legal counsel, a civil rights attorney testified Tuesday before a city committee.
Jennie Pasquarella, director of immigrants’ rights for the American Civil Liberties Union of California, told the committee overseeing LAX that, in one instance, a green card holder who had her 10-month-old baby in a cold room “didn’t have access to baby food,” and the baby later became “very ill” with a fever.
Another woman detained said she only had access to a vending machine that was a quarter full and which required her to have money to access it, Pasquarella told the Innovation, Grants, Technology, Commerce and Trade Committee at Los Angeles City Hall.
In another case, she said, the family of an elderly Iranian woman was contacted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to say the woman had a health episode that required them to call an ambulance, but that she had improved. She remained detained until the next day, Pasquarella said.
In a statement Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said its officers at LAX inspect and process nearly 30,000 or more international travelers every day and “adhere to the highest standards of professionalism.”
“Some cases require additional time to gather all the facts to determine admissibility and/or appropriate enforcement actions,” the statement said. “During the inspection process, travelers are offered food, water, snacks and access to restrooms.”
Sara Yarjani, an Iranian national who was detained at LAX for 23 hours after returning to Southern California from Austria on Jan. 27 to complete her post-graduate studies, also testified before the committee.
‘It was very hard to breathe’
Yarjani, traveling on a multiple-entry student visa, said she and other detainees were put into a small detention room that was very stuffy and where “it was very hard to breathe.” She said, at one point, she had to give up her shawl, shoelaces and cellphone and had to undergo a body search with her hands on the wall and her legs spread apart as CBP officers barked orders.
Yarjani said she was offered limited food during her detention and, as a vegetarian, had to decline a Cup O’Noodles with chicken that was offered to her after she was questioned.
Pasquarella also charged that CBP agents coerced some of detainees into signing documents withdrawing their applications for entry, threatening them with a lifetime ban from the U.S. or, in some cases, prison.
Customs declines comment
Customs and Border Patrol declined to comment on individual cases cited in Tuesday’s hearing, citing privacy concerns of travelers arriving at U.S. ports of entry under a Department of Homeland Security policy. The agency said officers “treat all travelers with respect and sensitivity.”
Trump’s immigration order, which was signed on Jan. 27, suspended resettlement of Syrian refugees indefinitely, suspended all other refugee resettlement for 120 days, and banned the entry of nationals from seven majority Muslim countries — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen — for a period of 90 days. Trump has said the order is necessary to keep terrorists out of the country.
The order, key provisions of which had been stayed by several judges around the country as of Tuesday evening, has caused chaos and confusion and prompted massive protests at airports around the country.
‘Horrendous conditions’
Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who chairs the committee, said after the hearing that he was “shocked and appalled” by the testimony he heard, adding that he had no idea of the “horrendous conditions people were put through by our government.”
The committee, made up of four City Council members, recommended that Los Angeles World Airports work with CBP to ensure detainees are provided adequate food, water, blankets and access to basic legal rights; that the airport demand access to inspect the CBP-controlled holding area; and that it coordinate with the American Red Cross or other organizations to push for access to detainees in limbo.
Council to hear recommendations
The recommendations, adopted by the committee Tuesday, will soon be heard by the full City Council.
Others testified Tuesday about the effects on airport operations from massive protests over the travel ban.
When an estimated 5,000 people protested at the airport on Jan. 29, delays resulted for 26 international flights and 17 domestic flights, said Patrick Gannon, deputy executive director of security and public safety for LAWA. There were no flight cancellations due to the protests and only two arrests were made for impeding traffic, Gannon said.
He estimated that LAWA would pay $150,000 to $175,000 in overtime costs for security as a result of the demonstrations.
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