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BBC News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Detained as an illegal immigrant – Maga mom still has faith in Trump's mass deportation plan
Arthur Sahakyan If Arpineh Masihi could vote, she would have cast her ballot for Donald Trump. She's a devout supporter of the US president – even now that she's locked up as an illegal immigrant. "He's doing the right thing because lots of these people don't deserve to be here," Arpineh told the BBC over the phone from the Adelanto immigrant detention centre in California's Mojave Desert. "I will support him until the day I die. He's making America great again." Sixty miles (96 km) away in her home in Diamond Bar, a wealthy suburban city in eastern Los Angeles County, a Trump flag flies over the family's front yard. Maga hats adorn a shelf next to a family photo album, while the family's pet birds chirp in a cage. It's a lively home, with three dogs and four young children, and Arpineh's husband and mother are bleary eyed and exhausted with worry, trying to put on brave faces. "Our home is broken," says Arthur Sahakyan, Arpineh's husband. 'We all make mistakes' In many ways, Arpineh, 39, is an American success story - a prime example of how the country gives people second, even third chances. Arpineh's mother wells up with tears as she talks about her daughter, who has lived in the US since she was three. She had a rough patch many years ago, in 2008, when she was convicted of burglary and grand theft and was sentenced to two years in prison. An immigration judge revoked her Green Card, which is a common practice. But because she is a Christian Armenian Iranian, the judge allowed her to remain in the country instead of being deported. "We are Christians. She can't go back, there's no way," Arthur says as their 4-year-old daughter runs in and out of the room. He fears her life would be at risk if she is sent back. But since her release from prison, Arpineh has rebuilt her life, starting a successful business and a family among hundreds of thousands of Iranian immigrants who call Southern California home. West Los Angeles - often called Tehrangeles - has the largest population of Iranians outside of Iran. Some, like Arpineh, have been detained in recent weeks, swept up in immigration raids that have put the city on edge. While the majority of those detained in LA come from Mexico, daily updates from the Department of Homeland Security show immigrants from seemingly every corner of the globe have been arrested. Trump was elected in part because of his promise to "launch the largest deportation programme of criminals in the history" - a promise Arpineh, her husband and mother say they all still believe in. Yet her family says they have faith that Arpineh will be released, and believe that only hardened, dangerous criminals will actually be deported. "I don't blame Trump, I blame Biden," Arthur says. "It's his doing for open borders, but I believe in the system and all the good people will be released and the ones that are bad will be sent back." While many of those detained do not have criminal records, Aprineh is a convicted felon, which makes her a prime target for removal. ICE did not respond to a request for comment about Arpineh's case. Arthur says he doesn't know details of the burglary. They spoke briefly about it before they were married and then he forgot about what he considered a youthful indiscretion by his wife. Instead, he focuses on his wife's good deeds over the last 17 years, volunteering with the local school district and bringing food to firefighters and police. "We all make mistakes," he says. 'No matter what, we're going to catch you' So, when ICE phoned Arpineh on 30 June as the family was having breakfast, the couple thought it must be a joke. But immigration enforcement pulled up to their home 30 minutes later. Despite signs all over Los Angeles County urging immigrants to "Know Your Rights" and not to open the door to immigration enforcement agents, the couple came outside to speak with the officers. Arpineh explained how a judge had allowed her to stay in the US because of the situation in Iran, as long as she didn't commit any other crimes, and as long as she frequently checked in immigration officials. Her last check-in was in April, she showed them, presenting her paperwork. Arthur even invited them into the house, which they declined, he says. The immigration enforcement agents told her circumstances had changed and they had a warrant for her arrest. They allowed her to go back inside and say goodbye to her children – aged 14, 11, 10 and 4. The officers told her that if she didn't come back outside, they would get her eventually. "They told us no matter what we're going to catch you – maybe if you're driving on the street with your kids - so we thought, what we'd been seeing on the news: flash bombs, cornering cars," Arthur says. They didn't want to risk her being violently detained, possibly with their children watching. "She came and kissed the kids goodbye," he recalls. "She came outside like a champion and said, 'Here I am'." Arthur asked the immigration officers not to handcuff his wife. They said that wasn't possible, though they agreed to do it on the far side of the vehicle so the couple's children wouldn't see. "I knew my kids were watching from upstairs," he says. "I didn't want them to see their mom handcuffed." Arpineh was then taken to a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, a centre used by ICE to process those arrested in the ongoing raids across the region. The building became the centre of sometimes violent anti-ICE protests that riled Los Angeles for weeks. She says those being held at the building "were treated like animals". Arpineh told the BBC she was held in a freezing, brightly lit room with 28 other women for three days. They survived on snacks and one bottle of water a day, she says, the women huddling together for warmth, and sleeping on the floor. Waiting for reprieve Because Arpineh speaks three languages – Armenian, Spanish and English – she was able to communicate with many of the other women and says they helped each other. Three days later, she was moved to Adelanto, the privately-run ICE detention centre in the desert northeast of Los Angeles, which has a reputation for harsh, prison-like conditions. But Arpineh says it's much better than what they faced in downtown LA, now having three meals a day, access to showers and a bed. Though she's heard it's difficult to get medical treatment if you need it, Arpineh is young and healthy. "But it's still very challenging," she says. She and her husband say they still have faith in the Trump administration and believe that she will be released. "I'm not deportable to any country," Arpineh told the BBC from the detention facility. But that hasn't stopped immigration officials in the past. In February, a group of Iranian Christians who had just crossed the border from Mexico were deported - but to Panama, not Iran. Arpineh remains hopeful for a reprieve, but she notes that she's felt discouraged, too. She says she loves America and that she feels American, even if she lacks the paperwork. She calls her husband collect once an hour so they can share updates on her legal case, though so far there isn't much to share. The older children understand what's happening, but their 4-year-old daughter keeps asking when mommy is coming home, he says. All four children are US citizens, born and raised in California. The couple believes officials will take that into consideration when deciding Arpineh's fate. "I have four citizen children. I own a business. I own a property. I own cars," Arpineh says. "I haven't done anything wrong in so many years."
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
An illegal immigrant arrested in LA – this Iranian still backs Trump
If Arpineh Masihi could vote, she would have cast her ballot for Donald Trump. She's a devout supporter of the US president – even now that she's locked up as an illegal immigrant."He's doing the right thing because lots of these people don't deserve to be here," Arpineh told the BBC over the phone from the Adelanto immigrant detention centre in California's Mojave Desert. "I will support him until the day I die. He's making America great again."Sixty miles (96 km) away in her home in Diamond Bar, a wealthy suburban city in eastern Los Angeles County, a Trump flag flies over the family's front yard. Maga hats adorn a shelf next to a family photo album, while the family's pet birds chirp in a cage. It's a lively home, with three dogs and four young children, and Arpineh's husband and mother are bleary eyed and exhausted with worry, trying to put on brave faces."Our home is broken," says Arthur Sahakyan, Arpineh's husband. In many ways, Arpineh, 39, is an American success story - a prime example of how the country gives people second, even third chances. Arpineh's mother wells up with tears as she talks about her daughter, who has lived in the US since she was three. She had a rough patch many years ago, in 2008, when she was convicted of burglary and grand theft and was sentenced to two years in prison. An immigration judge revoked her Green Card, which is a common practice. But because she is a Christian Armenian Iranian, the judge allowed her to remain in the country instead of being deported."We are Christians. She can't go back, there's no way," Arthur says as their 4-year-old daughter runs in and out of the room. He fears her life would be at risk if she is sent back. But since her release from prison, Arpineh has rebuilt her life, starting a successful business and a family among hundreds of thousands of Iranian immigrants who call Southern California home. West Los Angeles - often called Tehrangeles - is home to the largest population of Iranians outside of Iran. Some, like Arpineh, have been detained in recent weeks, swept up in immigration raids that have put the city on edge. While the majority of those detained in LA come from Mexico, daily updates from the Department of Homeland Security show immigrants from seemingly every corner of the globe have been arrested. Trump was elected in part because of his promise to "launch the largest deportation programme of criminals in the history" - a promise Arpineh, her husband and mother say they all still believe her family says they have faith that Arpineh will be released, and believe that only hardened, dangerous criminals will actually be deported."I don't blame Trump, I blame Biden," Arthur says. "It's his doing for open borders, but I believe in the system and all the good people will be released and the ones that are bad will be sent back."While many of those detained do not have criminal records, Aprineh is a convicted felon, which makes her a prime target for did not respond to a request for comment about Arpineh's case. Arthur says he doesn't know details of the burglary. They spoke briefly about it before they were married and then he forgot about what he considered a youthful indiscretion by his wife. Instead, he focuses on his wife's good deeds over the last 17 years, volunteering with the local school district and bringing food to firefighters and police."We all make mistakes," he says. So, when ICE phoned Arpineh on 30 June as the family was having breakfast, the couple thought it must be a joke. But immigration enforcement pulled up to their home 30 minutes signs all over Los Angeles County urging immigrants to "Know Your Rights" and not to open the door to immigration enforcement agents, the couple came outside to speak with the officers. Arpineh explained how a judge had allowed her to stay in the US because of the situation in Iran, as long as she didn't commit any other crimes, and as long as she frequently checked in immigration officials. Her last check-in was in April, she showed them, presenting her even invited them into the house, which they declined, he immigration enforcement agents told her circumstances had changed and they had a warrant for her arrest. They allowed her to go back inside and say goodbye to her children – aged 14, 11, 10 and 4. The officers told her that if she didn't come back outside, they would get her eventually."They told us no matter what we're going to catch you – maybe if you're driving on the street with your kids - so we thought, what we'd been seeing on the news: flash bombs, cornering cars," Arthur says. They didn't want to risk her being violently detained, possibly with their children watching. "She came and kissed the kids goodbye," he recalls. "She came outside like a champion and said, 'Here I am'."Arthur asked the immigration officers not to handcuff his wife. They said that wasn't possible, though they agreed to do it on the far side of the vehicle so the couple's children wouldn't see."I knew my kids were watching from upstairs," he says. "I didn't want them to see their mom handcuffed."Arpineh was then taken to a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, a centre used by ICE to process those arrested in the ongoing raids across the region. The building became the centre of sometimes violent anti-ICE protests that riled Los Angeles for weeks. She says those being held at the building "were treated like animals". Arpineh told the BBC she was held in a freezing, brightly lit room with 28 other women for three days. They survived on snacks and one bottle of water a day, she says, the women huddling together for warmth, and sleeping on the floor. Because Arpineh speaks three languages – Armenian, Spanish and English – she was able to communicate with many of the other women and says they helped each other. Three days later, she was moved to Adelanto, the privately-run ICE detention centre in the desert northeast of Los Angeles, which has a reputation for harsh, prison-like conditions. But Arpineh says it's much better than what they faced in downtown LA, now having three meals a day, access to showers and a bed. Though she's heard it's difficult to get medical treatment if you need it, Arpineh is young and healthy."But it's still very challenging," she and her husband say they still have faith in the Trump administration and believe that she will be released."I'm not deportable to any country," Arpineh told the BBC from the detention facility. But that hasn't stopped immigration officials in the past. In February, a group of Iranian Christians who had just crossed the border from Mexico were deported - but to Panama, not Iran. Arpineh remains hopeful for a reprieve, but she notes that she's felt discouraged, too. She says she loves America and that she feels American, even if she lacks the paperwork. She calls her husband collect once an hour so they can share updates on her legal case, though so far there isn't much to share. The older children understand what's happening, but their 4-year-old daughter keeps asking when mommy is coming home, he says. All four children are US citizens, born and raised in California. The couple believes officials will take that into consideration when deciding Arpineh's fate. "I have four citizen children. I own a business. I own a property. I own cars," Arpineh says. "I haven't done anything wrong in so many years."
The Independent
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Husband says he will continue to back Trump despite ICE detaining his Iranian wife
Arpineh Masihi said goodbye to her husband Arthu Sahakyan and the couple's four children after federal agents swarmed their California home on Monday. Masihi, who is from Iran, was arrested and placed into removal proceedings due to immigration issues stemming from a past conviction, according to her husband. She came to the United States when she was 3 years old as a refugee, but her green card was revoked 15 years ago after she was accused of stealing something worth 'less than $200,' he said. In the days after Donald Trump's decision to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, escalating tensions that have threatened to spill over into a regional war with Israel, federal agents reportedly detained dozens of Iranian nationals in the United States — including Masihi. But the couple aren't giving up their support for the president. Sahakyan says a red, white and blue TRUMP 2024 flag flying outside their home will stay there. 'I'm still supporting [Trump],' he told FOX 11 in Los Angeles. 'Even though my friends say 'take the flag down, you're going through a lot.' I'm like, no. The flag stands.' Masihi attended an immigration check-in appointment in April, and agents told her 'you're fine' and 'see you back in September or October,' Sahakyan said. Home surveillance video footage from outside their home in Diamond Bar in Los Angeles County on Monday shows Masihi, speaking with several officers as she throws out her arms in exasperation before walking back inside. 'She came and kissed the kids and that was it,' Sahakyan told FOX 11. 'That was the last time we saw her.' Sahakyan insists that 'Trump is not trying to do anything bad.' 'We understand what he's doing. He wants the best for the country,' he told the outlet. 'I'm just trying to make the best of it. I don't want any families to go through this. If they are, I apologize for what they're going through because it's hard.' Masihi's case is among a wave of similar arrests across the country, from New York to Louisiana, targeting Iranians who are legally living in the United States. Mandonna 'Donna' Kashanian, an Iranian woman who has lived in the United States for 47 years, was arrested outside her New Orleans home. Kashanian, 64, was gardening outside her New Orleans home when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrived and swiftly handcuffed her, according to her family. She arrived in the United States in 1978 on a student visa and applied for asylum, fearing retaliation for her father's support of the U.S.-backed shah Mohammad Reza. She is married to a U.S. citizen and the couple have a U.S. citizen daughter. Kashanian lost that case but was allowed to remain in the country with her family on the condition that she regularly check in with immigration officers She is now detained inside ICE's South Louisiana Immigration Center, roughly three hours from New Orleans. Trump's Department of Homeland Security 'has engaged in racial profiling and indiscriminate mass arrests of Iranians across the country, all under the guise of 'national security,'' according to National Iranian American Council president Jamal Abdi. More than 130 Iranian nationals have been detained within the days after U.S. airstrikes, with 670 Iranians in ICE custody nationwide, according to Fox News. 'As with all broad and racially motivated enforcement actions, everyday people suffer the most,' Abdi added. 'Like many Iranian Americans, those arrested often came to the U.S. in search of opportunity and freedom from an authoritarian government,' he said. 'Now, their mere identity now appears to be grounds for arrest in the so-called 'land of the free.'' Sahakyan told FOX 11 that he supports immigration agents vetting Iranian nationals for so-called 'sleeper cells.' 'I think it will resolve a lot of issues because we'll know exactly who's in here for what reasons, even though I miss [my wife] dearly,' he said. 'I think we could have a faster process [where they determine] she's not a radical, or tied to the crazies, let her out.' The Trump administration has thus far detained an average of roughly 20,000 immigrants each month, three times as many under the same point in 2024. The president's mass deportation agenda has also set More than 56,000 people are currently held in immigrant detention centers across the country, according to a Syracuse University database. Internal government data obtained by CBS News suggests an even higher figure, with roughly 59,000 immigrants behind bars — or 140 percent of the agency's ostensible capacity to hold them. Among those in detention now, 47 percent have no criminal record whatsoever, and fewer than 30 percent have been convicted of crimes, according to analysis from The Independent.
CBS News
19-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Local nonprofits aims to honor legacy of ancestors by uplifting Black excellence in students
A local nonprofit is using education as a tool to unlock Black excellence. School is out for summer, but a group of scholars is learning a very important lesson. It's an educational seminar put on by the nonprofit, Council of African American Parents, or CAAP. Ingrid Johnson founded the organization in 1992, when she says a Black "A-student" at Diamond Bar High School was denied entrance to an AP Calculus class. "She was just prejudged by a teacher who never saw an African American as being stellar in math," Johnson said. After organizing with other Black parents and convincing the then-superintendent, the student was placed in the advanced class. But Johnson didn't stop there. She created a volunteer-led Kindergarten through 12th Grade college prep organization, with an emphasis on embracing your African roots. "We thought it should be more than a Saturday school. It should be a movement," Johnson said. Last fall, Black students made up less than 5% of the total population at both Cal State Universities and University of California schools. But in the last 33 years, 99% of CAAP scholars have gone to 4-year universities. Camara Christian is one of them. "I was accepted into over 30 schools with $1.5 million in scholarships," Christian said. The 18-year-old is getting a refresher on Juneteenth, learning how, despite President Lincoln liberating enslaved Americans in 1863, that message didn't reach those in Texas until June 19, 1865. Christian said ignorance is not bliss, knowing her ancestors were denied their education. "I know my family history, we come from a slave plantation," Christian said. She said that after the plantation burned down, her family ran to Ohio and learned how to read. Fast forward to now, CAAP helped Christian get into Cal State Fullerton as a Presidential Scholar. "Them moving a boundary for themselves, will move it for someone else, and they will see in our organization if she could move that boundary, I can too," Johnson said. Christian said she is living the dream of her ancestors and hopes to continue to make them proud. "It's empowering. Knowing that we are defying all odds and breaking barriers," Christian said. "Doing what our ancestors couldn't do, gaining an education. It's amazing."
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Camunda and Liferay Announce Partnership
This partnership empowers businesses to achieve agile collaboration and deliver exceptional digital experiences through intelligent automation. Diamond Bar, CA, June 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Camunda, and Liferay, Inc., are joining forces to build and deliver cutting-edge digital experiences. By leveraging Liferay's enterprise cloud platform and Camunda's advanced orchestration and automation capabilities, businesses can now unify internal and external processes for seamless, personalized experiences. Our partnership with Camunda enables organizations to seamlessly integrate internal operations with external engagement, driving agility and innovation through intelligent automation. Camunda and Liferay will focus on empowering businesses to accelerate their digital transformation by seamlessly blending powerful process automation with dynamic digital experiences. This collaboration combines Liferay's intuitive, personalized user experiences with Camunda's robust process orchestration and automation platform, enabling organizations to streamline complex workflows, automate manual tasks, and drive operational efficiency. Digital transformation has driven businesses toward automation and AI, but complex digital infrastructures in large organizations make end-to-end process automation challenging. Process orchestration is essential for coordinating tasks, integrating systems, and enabling centralized updates, ensuring compliance, reducing technical debt, and maximizing AI investments. The Camunda Connect Partner Program is a global ecosystem of partners spanning every region of the world. Partners receive top-tier training and support, aiming to tackle automation challenges with process orchestration. We welcome Liferay into the program", highlighted Christiana Christenson, VP Global Partners at Camunda "We are excited to have Camunda join us in empowering businesses to design, execute, and monitor complex workflows, providing real-time process visibility and enhancing agility with Camunda's process orchestration and automation platform", said Linda Hartman, Vice President of Partnerships at Liferay. "Additionally, the partnership will also enable businesses to empower their business users with low-code/no-code capabilities, driving innovation and faster time-to-market'. About Liferay Liferay helps organizations build for the future by enabling them to create, manage, and scale powerful solutions on the world's most flexible Digital Experience Platform (DXP). Trusted globally by over a thousand companies spanning multiple industries, Liferay's open-source DXP facilitates the development of marketing and commerce websites, customer portals, intranets, and more. Learn how we can use technology to change the world together at © 2025 Liferay, Inc. All rights reserved. About Camunda Camunda enables organizations to orchestrate and automate processes across people, systems, and devices to continuously overcome complexity, increase efficiency, and fully operationalize AI. Built for business and IT, Camunda's leading orchestration and automation platform executes any process at the required speed and scale to remain competitive without compromising security, governance, or innovation. Over 700 companies across all industries, including Atlassian, ING, and Vodafone, trust Camunda with the design, orchestration, automation, and improvement of their business-critical processes to accelerate digital transformation. To learn more, visit CONTACT: Yotam Levy Liferay 1-877-LIFERAY in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
