GLENDALE, Calif., August 15, 2026 — When immigration agents approached Alisa Darbinyan and her American-born husband at Los Angeles International Airport on August 2, the encounter began with a claim that has since raised serious legal questions: an ICE officer reportedly told the couple he was acting on a presidential directive from Donald Trump to detain individuals considered out of status — regardless of pending asylum applications, clean records, or personal circumstances.
Twelve days later, Darbinyan — a professional violinist who teaches more than 95 children in Glendale — has been transported through four separate detention facilities stretching from California to south Texas. Her family has not spoken to her since August 12 and is now publicly demanding her immediate release on bond.
What Happened at the Airport
Darbinyan, a violin teacher and performing musician, was at LAX preparing to board a domestic flight to Hawaii with her husband, Haik Abovian, a United States citizen by birth. An ICE officer who identified himself as Waseem approached them with a team of agents and announced that Darbinyan was being taken into custody because she was deemed 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.”
President Trump signed an executive order on January 20, 2025 directing federal agencies to broadly enforce immigration laws against inadmissible and removable noncitizens. The same order states that detention pending immigration proceedings must remain within what the law permits. Darbinyan’s family is now demanding that both ICE and the White House clarify whether the agent’s characterization at LAX accurately reflected official policy and identify the specific legal authority that was used to justify her detention.
Entered Legally, Applied for Asylum, No Criminal Record
Darbinyan came to the United States through lawful channels and, according to her family, submitted her asylum application before her authorized period of stay lapsed. She carries no criminal history, has no order of removal, and has never failed to appear at an immigration hearing or any government-mandated check-in. She had not been scheduled for an appointment with ICE or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services before her arrest.
Her family says ICE has still not presented them with a judicial warrant, court order, custody determination, Notice to Appear, or any other document that specifies the precise statutory basis for her continued confinement.
How Four Transfers in 12 Days Derailed the Bond Case
After Darbinyan was brought to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center on August 2, her legal team filed a request for her release on bond. Before any judge could evaluate that request on its substance, ICE relocated her more than 700 miles to Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas on August 12.
The family says the Adelanto bond proceeding was then canceled or blocked from advancing because Darbinyan was no longer held within that court’s jurisdictional area. The next day, August 13, she was moved to a facility in Dilley, Texas. On August 14, she was transferred yet again to the Port Isabel Service Processing Center.
No immigration judge has denied Darbinyan’s bond on the merits. No judge has concluded that she poses a threat to public safety, represents a flight risk, or raises a national security concern.
The apparent cancellation raises direct questions about compliance with federal guidance. EOIR Policy Memorandum 25-49, issued to address exactly this kind of situation — transfers during pending bond proceedings — mandates that when DHS moves a detained individual outside the original immigration court’s geographic area, the pending bond request “must remain pending” and should be clerically transferred to the correct court.
“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.”
Conditions Behind Bars: Sleep Deprivation and a Missing Officer
In her final communications before going silent on August 12, Darbinyan described sleep deprivation, exposure to extreme temperatures, and significant difficulty contacting her family. She also reported being unable to get consistent access to the deportation officer assigned to her case.
The family says an Adelanto deportation officer identified as Officer Garcia never met with Darbinyan throughout her time at that facility. Information received at Adelanto indicated the officer had reportedly been absent from duty for about 12 days. No replacement officer meaningfully addressed her custody or transfer situation before she was sent to Texas.
The family is calling for an investigation into those conditions and immediate confirmation of Darbinyan’s physical and mental state.
Her August 12 transfer to Camp East Montana also came less than one month after Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union published a major report alleging serious barriers to family communication, confidential legal access, and adequate medical care at the Fort Bliss detention site. That report also documented repeated transfers that disrupted legal representation and court proceedings. While those broader findings do not prove what happened to Darbinyan during her brief detention there, they substantially increase the urgency of establishing what occurred and whether she had meaningful access to counsel and communication.
The family adds that Darbinyan had been undergoing medical treatment before her detention following an accident. Her husband has been unable to confirm whether the treatment continued, whether her condition has worsened, or whether her records followed her through the successive transfers.
A Violinist’s Statement From Detention
During her last conversations with family members, Darbinyan spoke repeatedly about her husband and the children she teaches.
In a statement relayed 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 educator whose students are preparing for a November 1 classical concert at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Her family and employer say she is responsible for the musical education 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.”
Darbinyan’s published professional biography states that she started studying violin at the age of six at Sayat-Nova Music School and later graduated from the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan. She co-founded the Liberta ensemble in 2012, toured more than 20 cities across eight U.S. states, and has taught at multiple Southern California music schools. Her performance history includes appearances alongside internationally recognized musicians, including Richard Clayderman, Homayoun Shajarian, and the Siavash Orchestra.
The Family’s Demands
Darbinyan’s family is calling upon ICE leadership, the Department of Homeland Security, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, members of Congress, 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.”
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 asks musicians, teachers, parents, human-rights organizations, elected officials, members of the Armenian-American community, and concerned members of the public to demand Darbinyan’s immediate release on bond and a stop 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
artur@thenotar.com
