A local pastor is speaking out after he says an Iranian couple seeking asylum was detained by masked federal agents in Los Angeles earlier this week. One of the individuals suffered a medical emergency during the encounter, which was captured on video.
Pastor Ara Torosian of Cornerstone Church in the city’s Sawtelle neighborhood said the couple, who have been part of his congregation for nearly a year, called him to their nearby home on Tuesday as they were being approached by immigration agents.
“They didn’t show me a warrant. I asked, ‘Can I see it signed by a judge?’ They didn’t show me,” Torosian told KTLA’s Kimberly Cheng. “That was the moment they took Reza inside. Mahshid had a panic attack. I was hopeless in the moment.”
Torosian’s cellphone video shows federal agents restraining the woman as she screams and collapses, prompting the pastor to plead with officers to let her go.
“Let her go! She’s sick! Call 911!” Torosian is heard yelling as the officers restrict his access to the screaming woman. “Why are you guys doing this? They came for restitution from Iran!”
The masked U.S. Border Patrol agents keep Torosian at a distance, threatening to arrest him if he tried to get in the way.
“You’re so cruel!” Torosian shouted at the agents, asking them if they’ve seen the news about Iran recently. “They came here for freedom, not this. Shame on you. I know you’re doing your job, but shame on you.”
The woman can seen on video being detained on the ground by one agent with others keeping watch while she writhes, screams and appears to have trouble breathing.
“She was healthy. Nothing like this before. I didn’t know her medical background,” Torosian said, describing the woman’s sudden medical emergency as a full-blown panic attack.
The Department of Homeland Security later confirmed that the woman was taken to a hospital, treated for a medical issue, and discharged. Officials said the couple is now in the custody of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In a statement, a DHS spokesperson said, “Border Patrol agents apprehended two Iranian nationals unlawfully present in the U.S., both flagged as subjects of national security interests,” and described the incident as a targeted enforcement operation.
Torosian rejected the characterization.
“They have no criminal background. They are not doing bad things in the U.S.,” he said. “Even if there is something, this is not the way to do it.”
The pastor also said another couple from his church — along with their toddler — was taken into federal custody on Monday, just one day before Tuesday’s incident. In total, he says five members of his congregation have been detained this week.
“I’m heartbroken,” he said. “But I’ll keep fighting for them.”