Rep. Norma Torres: Legal ICE Arrests Would Come With a Warrant and a Name

Rep. Norma Torres of California has challenged how federal immigration agents carried out raids in Los Angeles, arguing that legal, targeted arrests would look very different from what her constituents saw.

Speaking on PBS NewsHour on June 9, 2025, the Democratic congresswoman was asked about Immigration and Customs Enforcement's position that its operations target people who already have final deportation orders.

"If that was true, they would come in with a warrant," Torres said. "If that was true, they would have an actual name, and they would be asking people for their identification."

She went further. If agents were only serving those orders, she said, they "would not be breaking car windows" or raiding places of employment and school graduations, and they would not be standing in front of elementary schools demanding to be let in.

Torres, who represents a district in California's Inland Empire east of Los Angeles, described agents arriving "armed to the teeth with face coverings" and said people were being detained without warrants or due process. She also described a visit by members of Congress to an ICE holding location in Los Angeles. She said they were refused entry and were not briefed on how many officers were involved or how many injuries there had been. According to Torres, the facility had a capacity of about 100 people, but close to 1,000 were being held there. She said she believed access was denied because officials did not want lawmakers to see the conditions inside. "This cannot happen while ICE continues to unleash this terror on our communities," she said.

The interview came during the protests that followed the raids, which drew a large federal response. Torres separated the peaceful protesters from those causing damage, saying the city has many groups "with many different agendas" and that local police and leaders should be given time to restore order. She had also drawn criticism from Republicans for a social media post telling ICE to leave Los Angeles, using profanity. She defended the post on the program.

Torres has pushed legislation on the same theme. Her Fairness to Freedom Act would give people facing removal or immigration bond hearings a right to government-funded lawyers if they cannot afford one. Unlike criminal courts, immigration courts do not guarantee a public defender.

Supporters of the operations see it differently. They say agents are enforcing immigration law passed by Congress, that people in the country illegally are subject to removal, and that masks protect officers from being identified and targeted. Critics, including Torres, argue the methods ignore due process and put citizens and legal residents at risk of being swept up.

The debate over warrants, masks and identification has continued in Congress since the Los Angeles raids, with both parties using it to define their position on immigration enforcement heading into the November 3 midterms.

Do federal immigration agents need a judicial warrant before making arrests? YES OR NO?