What Mexican immigrants can do if they are detained

As of Monday, the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles has identified 77 Mexican immigrants detained by immigration officers since June 6, 2025. 

Among them, 73 are men and four are women, said Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles Carlos González Gutiérrez during an interview with CALÓ News

Gutiérrez said Mexican Consulate representatives visit the detention center in downtown Los Angeles twice a day. 

During their June 6 visit to the Los Angeles detention Inmate Services Bureau (ISB) 18, they confirmed that several locations in Los Angeles were raided. They immediately started to document the situation.   

"At around 8 p.m., immigration officers decided to evacuate everyone from the ISB18 due to the riots and protests happening outside,” said Gutiérrez.

While the raids continued the following days, immigration officials started to experiment with delays to register people due to the high number arriving per day. They were being transferred to other detention centers, including Santa Ana, Adelanto, San Bernardino, El Centro and even other states like Arizona and Texas. 

“We started asking for support from other consulates,” explained Gutiérrez. “It took up to 48 or 72 hours before a detainee’s information could appear at the ICE locator.”

Gutiérrez said up until now, they haven’t been able to identify any day laborers detained on June 6. However, they were able to identify 25 Mexican workers detained at Ambiance Apparel in the fashion district in downtown Los Angeles. 

The purpose of the Consulate’s visit to detainees

Gutiérrez said when the Mexican Consulate representatives identify Mexicans detained they make sure to comply with three things:

1. Making sure they are detained under decent conditions, meaning they have access to water, food and clothing or blankets.

2. They give Mexican detainees a questionnaire, which includes the reasons for their detention and asks for contact information of any relatives. 

3. They provide proper legal aid to make sure Mexicans are aware of their options. They are asked if they have an attorney or need one. Then they are notified of their options, if they want to see a judge or if they want to self-deport. 

"There are workers who have been in the U.S. for decades, many of them have children, and are part of mixed-status families. For them, it is not easy to leave the country immediately; therefore, they want to fight for their court date,” said Gutiérrez. "Others, who have been here for a shorter time, are not willing to stay at the detention center and sign their voluntary departure.”

Mexico te abraza program

On January 28, President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum announced the “Mexico te Abraza” program for Mexicans who return to the country after being deported from the U.S. 

Gutierrez said the program provides the deportees with a prepaid card of $2,000 pesos, medical attention, a list of jobs available and guidance to apply for their Mexican identification number called CURP (Clave Única de Registro de Población).  

Along the six border states – Baja California Norte, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas – there are enough shelters where deportees also receive food, temporary housing and if needed, transportation to their hometown. 

“They receive all the support during this traumatic process of deportation,” said Gutiérrez.

The Mexican Consulate is safe

The consul said last week that there was about 50% absenteeism among people who had scheduled appointments at the consulate. He assumed this is because of fear of immigration officers. However, he assured the Mexican Consulate it is safe and immigration officers cannot enter the premises unless he approves it.

“This is a diplomatic representation and we have certain immunity to do our job,” Gutiérrez said. “This is based on reciprocity.”

Nonetheless, he recommended people to be ready in case they get caught in the deportation raids.

He said they need to seek legal advice to make sure of their current immigration status.

While it can be difficult,  he said undocumented people should talk to their family and seek options.

They need to make sure they have their Mexican birth certificate, important documents, their finances in order and a plan to administer any other property they may have, like a home, vehicle and business.

"Fear may paralyze people, but we have to make informed decisions," said Gutiérrez. 

If you know any Mexican national that has been detained by immigration, you can get in contact with the consulate. The information and assistance center from the Mexican Consulate is available 24/7 by calling at (520) 623-7874.

The emergency contact for the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles is (213) 219-0175.