Woman Suffers Medical Emergency While Being Detained by ICE Agents
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
An Iranian woman experienced a medical emergency while being detained by masked immigration agents outside her Los Angeles home.
During the operation on June 24, the woman appeared to suffer a severe panic attack after witnessing her husband's arrest by Border Patrol agents, according to NBC4 Los Angeles. In distress, she called her pastor, Ara Torosian, for help.
"In one moment, I felt that I'm in the street of Tehran, under fear, under dictatorship," said Torosian, a pastor at Cornerstone Church in West Los Angeles.
In a post on X, the Department of Homeland Security said: "Agents immediately contacted EMS and escorted her to the hospital. Agent presence at the hospital was solely to guard the subject receiving medical care—a standard procedure when an individual in the country illegally requires medical attention."
The woman has since been discharged from hospital and remains in custody.
Newsweek has contacted DHS by email and the pastor via Instagram for comment.
An Iranian woman experienced a medical emergency while being detained by masked immigration agents outside her home.
An Iranian woman experienced a medical emergency while being detained by masked immigration agents outside her home.
Ara Torosian
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump's immigration enforcers are facing intense scrutiny as the Republican-led administration carries out plans to remove millions of migrants without legal status as part of a mass deportation policy.
The raids - some of which have been viewed as heavy handed - have prompted nationwide protests.
What To Know
Torosian told NBC4 Los Angeles that federal agents detained several members of his congregation on Tuesday, including the woman's partner.
The names of those arrested have not been disclosed.
The pastor said he had decided to cancel church services because many of his congregation were from the Iranian community and were now feeling afraid.
"With lots of pain, I called them and said, 'Please don't come to the church,'" said Torosian. "I will miss them, and hopefully I can hug them and love them and preach for them again."
Torosian said the couple are asylum seekers who left Iran, partly in fear of facing persecution due to their Christianity.
However, DHS said that during a targeted enforcement operation in Los Angeles, Border Patrol agents apprehended two Iranian nationals who were unlawfully present in the U.S. and had been flagged as subjects of national security interest.
Footage shared on Instagram shows the woman screaming and kicking her legs as she is being detained by federal agents.
The pastor told NBC4 Los Angeles the agents said they had a warrant to detain the couple, although they did not show this to him. He said the couple had no criminal record and had been attending his church for more than a year.
Torosian also told the outlet that five members of his congregation had been detained by federal agents this week, including a family with a 3-year-old daughter.
Iranian nationals in the U.S. have come under increased attention following President Trump's recent strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.
A former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) New York field office director told Newsweek that all Americans were at risk from Iranian sleeper cells.
What People Are Saying
Ara Torosian wrote in a social media post: "As an Iranian pastor at Cornerstone Church West LA, I watched in pain today as women—who fled Iran's dictatorship for freedom—were arrested outside their own home here in Los Angeles. They came seeking refuge, not another nightmare. This is not the justice they hoped for."
Retired ICE agent Tom Decker told Newsweek: "Everyone in the United States are at risk by Iranian sleeper cells because of sanctuary cities."
What Happens Next
Both the woman and her husband are now in the custody of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), pending removal.
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