GLENDALE, Calif., August 15, 2026 — A case that began with an immigration arrest at Los Angeles International Airport has rapidly become a flashpoint in the national debate over executive order enforcement, due process protections, and the administrative mechanics of immigration detention. Alisa Darbinyan, a professional violinist and music teacher in Glendale who instructs more than 95 children, was detained by ICE on August 2 and has since been transferred through four separate facilities across two states. Her family has not been able to communicate with her since August 12.
The arrest has drawn attention not only because of its circumstances — Darbinyan was traveling domestically with her U.S.-citizen husband when she was seized — but because the arresting officer reportedly told the couple he was acting under a presidential order from Donald Trump. The family is now demanding her release on bond, a full review of the legal authority used in her arrest, and an end to what they describe as a pattern of transfers designed to prevent any court from ruling on her case.
The Arrest and Its Legal Foundation
Darbinyan and her husband, Haik Abovian, a natural-born citizen of the United States, were at LAX on August 2 preparing to fly to Hawaii when an ICE officer who identified himself as Waseem approached with a team of agents. The officer stated Darbinyan was being taken into custody because she was considered out of status.
“I asked the agent directly whether he had an order from a judge,” Haik said. “He told me no. He said they had a presidential order from Trump to detain people who were out of status, regardless of whether they were criminals, had pending asylum cases or had any other circumstances. Then they took my wife away.”
Haik continued:
“Alisa entered this country legally. She applied for asylum, she has never committed a crime, and she has never missed an appointment. She was traveling domestically with her husband. Since August 12, I have not heard her voice. I do not know whether she is safe, whether she has slept, whether she is receiving proper care or whether she can reach her attorney.”
On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to broadly enforce immigration laws against individuals deemed inadmissible or removable. That order simultaneously affirms that detention during immigration proceedings must remain within statutory boundaries. The family contends that ICE has not demonstrated how Darbinyan’s arrest complies with those boundaries and is demanding that both the agency and the White House clarify the specific legal authority that was applied at LAX.
Immigration Record: Legal Entry, Asylum Filed, Zero Criminal History
According to her family, Darbinyan entered the country through lawful channels and filed her asylum application before her authorized stay expired. She has never been convicted of or charged with any crime. She has no outstanding order of removal. She has never missed an immigration hearing, government appointment, or reporting obligation. She was not scheduled to appear before ICE or USCIS at the time she was taken into custody.
The family reports that ICE has not provided any judicial warrant, court order, custody determination, Notice to Appear, or other documentation that would specify the statutory basis for her continued detention.
How Serial Transfers Neutralized the Bond Process
After being taken to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California on August 2, Darbinyan’s legal representatives submitted a request for bond. Before the immigration court at Adelanto could evaluate that request on its substance, ICE moved Darbinyan over 700 miles to Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas on August 12.
The family says the bond proceeding at Adelanto was then canceled or prevented from advancing because Darbinyan was no longer housed within that court’s geographic jurisdiction. On August 13, she was transferred to Dilley, Texas. On August 14, she was moved once more to the Port Isabel Service Processing Center.
No immigration judge has denied her bond request on the merits. No judge has found her to be a public safety risk, a flight risk, or a national security concern.
EOIR Policy Memorandum 25-49 was issued specifically to govern situations in which DHS transfers a detainee out of an immigration court’s geographic area while a bond request is pending. The memorandum states that the bond request “must remain pending” and should be clerically transferred to the receiving court. The family alleges this guidance was not followed.
“This is not a request for special treatment. It is a demand for basic due process,” said Artur Hakobyan, the family’s spokesperson.
“ICE detained a violin teacher with no criminal record, moved her from California to three different facilities in Texas in three consecutive days, and left her bond case chasing her across jurisdictions. A pending bond request should not disappear every time ICE puts someone on another plane or bus.”
Hakobyan continued:
“An ICE agent invoked President Trump’s name when Alisa was taken at LAX. President Trump and his administration should now review what is being done in his name. Release Alisa on bond, return her to California and stop moving her before a court can fairly hear her case.”
Detention Conditions and Communication Blackout
Before contact was lost on August 12, Darbinyan described conditions including sleep deprivation, extreme temperatures, and substantial difficulty reaching her family. She also said she had been unable to obtain consistent access to her assigned deportation officer.
The family says an Adelanto deportation officer identified as Officer Garcia never met with Darbinyan during her time at the facility. Information obtained at Adelanto indicated the officer had reportedly been absent from duty for approximately 12 days. No replacement officer took meaningful action regarding Darbinyan’s custody or transfer status before she was sent to Texas.
The family is demanding a formal investigation into conditions at every facility where Darbinyan has been held and immediate confirmation of her physical and mental condition.
Her transfer to Camp East Montana on August 12 occurred less than a month after Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union published a significant report documenting barriers to family communication, confidential legal access, and adequate medical care at the Fort Bliss detention site. That report also cataloged repeated transfers that disrupted legal representation and court proceedings. While the broader findings do not prove what happened to Darbinyan specifically during her brief detention there, they substantially heighten the need for transparency about her experience and access to counsel.
The family further notes that Darbinyan had been receiving medical treatment before her arrest following an accident. Her husband has not been able to verify whether that treatment continued, whether her health has deteriorated, or whether her medical records accompanied her through the chain of transfers.
Darbinyan’s Own Words
In the last conversations before she went silent, Darbinyan spoke repeatedly about her husband and the young students who depend on her instruction.
In a statement conveyed through her family, Darbinyan said:
“I keep thinking about my students and what they are going to do without me. I am separated from my husband, and now I cannot reach my family. I am asking the public and the government to look carefully at my case and see what ICE has done. I believe this was an illegal detention for no reason. I have never committed a crime, and I am asking for the chance to return to my husband, my students and my life while my immigration case continues.”
Darbinyan is a professional violinist and music educator. Her students are currently preparing for a November 1 classical concert at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Her family and employer confirm she is responsible for the musical instruction of more than 95 children.
“I visited Alisa while she was detained in Adelanto,” said Sona Vardanyan, owner of Sonata Music School.
“She was exhausted, frightened and deeply worried about her students. Alisa is not a danger to anyone. She is a dedicated teacher whose students and their families depend on her. They keep asking where she is and when she is coming back. Every transfer takes her farther from her husband, her students and the community that is ready to support her.”
Vardanyan added:
“Alisa teaches children much more than violin. She gives them discipline, confidence, responsibility and stability. Her continued detention is not affecting only one person. It is hurting an entire community of children and families.”
According to her published biography, Darbinyan began studying violin at age six at Sayat-Nova Music School and graduated from the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan. She co-founded the Liberta ensemble in 2012, performed in more than 20 cities across eight U.S. states, and has taught at multiple Southern California music schools. She has performed alongside internationally recognized musicians including Richard Clayderman, Homayoun Shajarian, and the Siavash Orchestra.
What the Family Demands
The family is calling on ICE leadership, the Department of Homeland Security, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, congressional representatives, and the Trump administration to act immediately:
- Release Alisa Darbinyan on reasonable bond while her pending immigration case proceeds.
- Conduct an urgent review of her arrest, continued detention, and repeated transfers, including the legal authority relied upon at LAX and the effect of those transfers on her bond proceedings.
- Return Alisa to California and suspend any further transfers while her bond request and detention review are pending.
- Preserve and transfer her original bond request rather than requiring the process to begin again each time ICE changes her location.
- Provide immediate, reliable, and confidential communication with her husband and attorneys, together with written confirmation of her current physical condition.
- Provide Alisa and her legal representatives with all arrest, custody, charging, and transfer documents, including any administrative warrant, custody determination, Notice to Appear, and transfer records.
“This family is not asking the government to decide Alisa’s entire immigration case through a press release,” Hakobyan said. “We are asking the government to stop moving her, let a judge review the facts and release her on bond. Alisa has a husband, attorneys, employers, students and an entire community prepared to ensure that she attends every proceeding.”
Case Timeline
- August 2, 2026: ICE detains Alisa at LAX while she is preparing to travel to Hawaii with her U.S.-citizen husband. She is transported to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center.
- August 2-12: Alisa remains detained in Adelanto. A bond request is filed. The family says she never receives a bond decision on the merits and is unable to consistently meet with an assigned deportation officer.
- August 12: ICE transfers Alisa from Adelanto to Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas. This is the last date on which her husband or family has confirmed communication with her.
- August 13: ICE transfers Alisa to a detention facility in Dilley, Texas.
- August 14: ICE transfers Alisa to the Port Isabel Service Processing Center.
- August 15: Her husband and family remain unable to speak with her. No bond hearing has been completed, and no judge has denied release on the merits.
Public Appeal
The family urges musicians, educators, parents, human-rights organizations, elected officials, members of the Armenian-American community, and concerned citizens to demand Darbinyan’s immediate release on bond and a halt to further transfers.
The official public campaign hashtag is: #FreeAlisa
High-resolution photographs, professional performance materials, employment verification, family and community declarations, the detention transfer timeline, and interviews with Darbinyan’s husband, employer, and family spokesperson are available to verified journalists upon request.
Media Contact
Artur Hakobyan
Family Spokesperson
Text Message only: 747-221-7332 a
rtur@thenotar.com
