Immigration officers arrest Iranian asylum-seekers in Los Angeles
- Federal immigration officers arrested two Iranian asylum-seekers, a husband and wife with a three-year-old, in Los Angeles on June 24, 2025.
- These recent detentions are part of an increasing pattern of arrests by ICE that includes individuals affiliated with religious communities and those pursuing asylum based on faith, many of whom have clean criminal records and have followed immigration court directives.
- Pastor Ara Torosian of the West Los Angeles Farsi-speaking congregation witnessed the arrests, described the scene as traumatic, and noted five members had been detained that week amid increasing fear in the community.
- Torosian explained that the couple escaped Iran to avoid religious persecution and had been attending his church for over a year; he expressed sorrow over their situation as the woman experienced a panic attack during the arrest.
- These events suggest expanding immigration enforcement priorities, including detaining asylum seekers flagged for national security, raising concerns about the impact on vulnerable religious communities and the future of US asylum policy.
33 Articles
33 Articles


Pastor Films as Masked Federal Agents Arrest Iranian Christian Asylum-Seekers in LA
In a three-minute video clip captured by their pastor, a couple can be seen flanked by agents wearing vests emblazoned with "border patrol federal agents." As the husband is arrested, the wife can be seen convulsing on the ground in panic.
Trump Administration Targets Iranian Christians for Deportation
Christianity Today reports that the Trump Administration is targeting Iranian Christian migrants for deportation: On June 19, as Iran and Israel exchanged volleys of missiles and officials secretly finalized plans to dispatch American bombers to strike Iranian nuclear sites, pastor Ara Torosian published a letter to his church. Torosian, an Iranian pastor at Cornerstone West Los Angeles, leads the church's Farsi-speaking congregation. He came to…
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