Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman says that federal agents wrongfully detained a member of his office on Friday.
“I am writing to inform you of a disturbing incident involving one of our colleagues,” said a memo Hochman shared with his staff, which was first reported by the LA Times and CBS LA has since obtained from a source inside the LA County DA’s Office. “A member of our Office was wrongfully detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).”
He says that the employee was released sometime after they were detained and is safe.
“This incident is unacceptable. Our employee is a dedicated public servant who serves the people of Los Angeles County with professionalism and integrity,” Hochman said. “This troubling situation caused great distress to our colleague, our co-worker’s family, and our entire Office family.”
Hochman said that he has reached out to federal counterparts and other authorities to make them aware of the incident. He did not say exactly which agencies he wrote to. He says that he “urged them to be more respectful to the rights of those who reside in our community and ensure this wrongful conduct does not occur again.”
In response to a request for comment on the incident, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security shared a statement that said: “Neither ICE nor CBP have any record of any employee of the LA County’s DA’s office being detained. Any allegations our Law enforcement are engaging in racial profiling are FALSE and disgusting.”
A spokesperson for the DA’s Office said that they were not able to comment on the incident or offer further specific details.
