Telepeer

Officials say there’s been lack of transparency with ICE office in Irvine, raise concerns

April 10, 2026

Concerns over ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Orange County — and the potential impact of ICE and other federal agencies leasing commercial office space in local communities — were raised at a town hall on Thursday, April 9, in Irvine.

Rep. Dave Min, D-Irvine, said the federal government has been less than transparent about its role in leasing space for ICE at an Irvine office building not far from John Wayne Airport.

Irvine Council Member Melinda Liu makes some remarks at a community forum organized by Rep. Dave Min regarding her concerns about commercial office space being leased by ICE and their operations within the city in Irvine on Thursday, April 9, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

1 of 5

Expand

“They’re opening up an office here in the heart of Orange County … and yet, we don’t know what it’s for,” Min said at the town hall organized by his office. Min said he has reached out to federal authorities about the plan for the ICE office space, which had not been publicly announced and was first reported in February by WIRED.

“We don’t know how many people are going to be there,” Min said. “And they’re not in contact with any of the government officials representing this area.”

Federal officials have said the office space will be used exclusively for legal and administrative functions, with funding through the recent passing of the Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“This facility is not involved in the long-term detention or processing of aliens,” a DHS spokesperson wrote in a letter obtained by the Southern California News Group.

Min said he and other Irvine city officials, including the mayor, have been unable to establish regular communication with the federal agency. “We don’t even know who is running this particular office.”

The town hall, led by Min and Irvine Councilwoman Melinda Liu, included feedback from immigration justice organizers and attorneys, including members of the Orange County Rapid Response Network, or OCRRN, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

Min’s office invited ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, of which it is a part, to participate in the town hall, but no representatives attended. The two agencies also did not respond to requests for comment.

Felicity Figueroa, an Irvine resident and member of OCRRN, said it isn’t just residents who are scared of ICE setting up an office near their homes. She said occupants of the office complex told her last month that they’re that ICE’s presence might be bad for business.

“We were told by an employee of an international banking firm that works next door that their South American clients will no longer come to their offices because they are afraid your ICE agents might grab them and make them disappear as well,” Figueroa said to a chair labeled ICE that was set out at the town hall.

Officials say there’s been lack of transparency with ICE office in Irvine, raise concerns Orange County Register

News Details

Officials say there’s been lack of transparency with ICE office in Irvine, raise concerns

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS