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The local pastor comes after he said an Iranian couple seeking asylum was taken into custody earlier this week by masked Los Angeles agents. One of the individuals suffered from a medical emergency during the video-shot encounter.
Pastor Ala Torosian, of Cornerstone Church in the city’s Sautell area, said the couple, who had been part of the congregation for nearly a year, called him to a nearby home on Tuesday as they were approaching immigration agents.
“They didn’t show me a warrant. I asked, ‘Can I see it signed by a judge?” They didn’t show it to me,” Torosian told KTLA’s Kimberly Chen. “That was the moment they let Reza inside. Masid had a panic attack. I was hopeless at the moment.”
Videos on Torosian’s mobile phone show federal agents screaming and falling to restrain the woman, urging the pastor to plead with officers to plead with her.
“Let her go! She’s sick! Call 911!” Tosian screams as police officers restrict access to women they scream. “Why are you guys doing this? They came to return it from Iran!”
The footage shows an Iranian woman suffering from a medical emergency while being detained by a federal agent in Los Angeles. June 2025 (Ara Torosian) footage shows an Iranian woman suffering from a medical emergency while being detained by a federal agent in Los Angeles. June 2025 (Ara Torosian) footage shows an Iranian woman suffering from a medical emergency while being detained by a federal agent in Los Angeles. June 2025 (Ara Torosian) footage shows an Iranian woman suffering from a medical emergency while being detained by a federal agent in Los Angeles. June 2025 (Ara Torosian) footage shows an Iranian woman suffering from a medical emergency while being detained by a federal agent in Los Angeles. June 2025. (Arasian)
Masked US Border Patrol agents kept Torosian far away and threatened to arrest him if he tried to get in the way.
“You’re so cruel!” Tosian cried out to his agent, asking if he had recently seen news about Iran. “They came here for freedom, not this. I’m embarrassed by you. I know you’re doing your job, but I’m embarrassed by you.”
The woman can see one agent being detained on the ground along with another agent.
“She was healthy. Previously, there was nothing like this. I had no idea about her medical background,” Tosyan described the woman’s sudden medical emergency as a full-fledged panic attack.
The Department of Homeland Security later confirmed that the woman was taken to hospital, treated for medical issues and then discharged. Authorities said the couple is currently under the control of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
In a statement, a DHS spokesperson said, “Border Patrol agents arrested two Iranian citizens in the United States for illegal presence, both flagging them as subject to national security interests,” describing the incident as a target enforcement operation.
The Torosian refused to perform characterization.
“They have no criminal history. They’re not doing anything bad in the US,” he said. “Even if something happens, this is not a way to do it.”
The pastor also said, along with another couple from his church, and their toddler, were taken to federal custody on Monday, a day before Tuesday’s incident. In total, he says five members of his congregation have been taken into custody this week.
“I’m heartbroken,” he said. “But I’ll continue to fight for them.”
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