Immigrants detained by Southern California federal agents were placed in the City of Glendale prison, making the Los Angeles suburbs one of the few, if not the only, of known jurisdiction in a “sanctuary” state to avoid regulations prohibiting local law enforcement officers from assisting federal immigration enforcement.

It is unclear how many times the detainees have been detained in the 96-bed facility, but the Times confirmed that immigration officials placed at least two people there last week. The facility is one of the busiest prisons in the state and consists of the Glendale Police Department.

Glendale City Council members defended the detention this week, saying the city had an 18-year-old contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE to temporarily accommodate non-criminal detainees. They said the agreement complies with state Senate Bill 54, a landmark law that makes California the first bill to establish an asylum state in the United States.

"Glendale has a contract with Ice and yes, sometimes ice detainees get beds in our facilities," said Annette Ghazarian, a spokesman for Glendale.

Shortly after President Trump took office, Glendale Police Commissioner Manuel Cid told the council that prisons have not been frequently used to immigrate detainees since the Obama administration.

He said large-scale scans were logically difficult given the capabilities of federal detention centers, and he did not expect local agencies to fill gaps in the laws of a given state.

But embracing fear, that's exactly what's going on. They believe that Glendale’s arrangement exploits loopholes in state asylum laws that omit conventional contracts. This raises questions about state laws, which intensifies law enforcement efforts in the Trump administration, which aims to arrest 3,000 undocumented immigrants a day.

"It's very troublesome," said Andres Kwon, senior policy advisor for the American Civil Liberties Union in Southern California. "The contract is very contrary to the principles and values ​​of establishing bright boundaries between local resources and federal immigration enforcement."

At least, the contract should be ended immediately.

"This is the Attorney General with jurisdiction and responsibility to review and oversee Glendale's actions under this contract," he said. The Attorney General also has the task of reviewing and reporting conditions for lockdown, which has not been done yet.

Other municipalities terminate Their contract After the government at that time. Jerry Brown signed SB 54, which prohibits local and state municipalities from using federal immigration enforcement purposes, including the use of prison facilities. But Robert Castro, then chief of police officers who Glendale opposed the law at the time, did not. At that time, the city manager Warning not to cut contracts To maintain good relations with federal authorities.

Glendale resident Jennie Quinonez-Skinner said she has been urging council members to waive contracts because they learned about the contract during the first Trump administration.

"If you want, they can end, they just don't want to," she said. "I don't think there is a reason to do so. Under the current government, it's harmful due to the lack of due process."

When the contract was signed in 2007, the federal government promised to pay $85 per day for each detainee. About a decade later in 2016, the city reported that it received more than $6,000 in service within a year. City File display The terms of the contract are indefinitely and “can be terminated by either party for 60 days in writing”.

Immigration attorney Sarah Houston, who was detained in jail for transfers between multiple facilities for nine hours, questioned why Glendale insisted on a decades-long deal that was reached after SB 54.

"We have SB 54 very clearly stated that local law enforcement cannot provide resources for immigration enforcement including cells. California is a shelter," Houston said at the meeting. "Do you want Glendale to be one of the only cities that allow local police departments to work with the Department of Homeland Security so that they can place and detain many of our immigrant sisters and brothers?"

Glendale Councilman Elen Asatryan tried to distance the city from immigration operations.

"We were not involved, we didn't even book them, and they used the cells as a placeholder in the city of Glendale," Assatrien said, objecting to detainees who did not provide food or water.

They forced the use of Glendale City prison to detain immigrants as the Trump administration urged the number of arrests to be immigrants as they left court.

Immigration officials acknowledged that the work emphasizes their own resources as they hope to increase production capacity. ICE has approximately 7,000 beds in six private facilities in California, and as its enforcement begins to surpass its detention space, the company has been seeking to expand its footprint in the state.

“Enhanced enforcement actions and daily routines performed by U.S. immigration and customs have led to a large number of arrests of criminal foreigners who require higher detention capabilities,” said ICE spokesman Richard Beam. “While we cannot confirm the conversation before individuals review, we can confirm that ICE is exploring all options to meet its current and future detention requirements.”

In Los Angeles, Santa Ana and all over the country, masked federal agents in ordinary clothes arrested immigrants during their departure from immigration hearings, usually after government lawyers demanded that their deportation lawsuit be dismissed. Family members who come to support their loved ones are often upset.

Melissa Shepard, director of legal services at the ICE Center, said people arrested by ICE are usually transferred to detention centers, but the speed of detention is urgently needed to resolve the system and force the search for alternative options.

"I can imagine that this will be an influx of detention centers that may not have the resources to keep all of these people," Shepard said. "In Southern California, detention centers are unprepared for the number of people being detained."

Times reporters witnessed more than six arrests in court in downtown Los Angeles and Santa Ana Court on Monday. In Los Angeles, China's Jianghe Wu Yi was detained after being detained, dismissing his case and seeking expedited revocation procedures.

The judge approved a hearing for the man in August, giving him time to find a lawyer and told him “you need to talk about his case with someone who is capable.”

But when he left the court, plainclothes agent followed him, while the other stopped him from entering the corridor. An agent gave him the man's backpack and quickly sent him down the elevator.

By Tuesday, he was held in Glendale City Jail.