By Jenny Zhao
LOS ANGELES — On July 14, 2025, California State Sen. María Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, issued a forceful statement condemning the Trump administration after a video surfaced showing two dozen children handcuffed and led single file through a parking garage at a federal building in Los Angeles.
Durazo described the incident as a “moral failure of the highest order,” calling the treatment of children in federal immigration custody cruel, dehumanizing and fundamentally un-American.
“These are children, not criminals — and treating them like dangerous felons is not only cruel but fundamentally un-American,” Durazo said.
She stressed that detaining children without their parents and subjecting them to shackling and parading through a federal facility is “absolutely unconscionable.”
Durazo demanded that the Trump administration immediately end these practices and ensure that all children, regardless of immigration status, are treated with dignity and respect.
She also applauded U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Frimpong’s recent ruling ordering the Department of Homeland Security to halt indiscriminate raids that have terrorized Los Angeles neighborhoods.
The judge emphasized that immigration authorities cannot rely on race, ethnicity, location or language to justify detentions, upholding core constitutional protections.
Durazo criticized the White House for appealing the ruling, arguing it showed an administration “more interested in cruelty than justice.”
She urged federal leaders to honor the Constitution and safeguard due process and dignity for all.
“I will continue to fight for laws that keep families together, keep communities together, and treat all people with compassion. Terrorizing children is never the answer,” Durazo said.
The senator’s district encompasses a wide range of diverse Los Angeles neighborhoods, many of which are deeply impacted by aggressive immigration enforcement.
Local advocates say this latest incident underscores an urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform and stronger safeguards against federal overreach.
