Afghan Family Detained in Los Angeles are Asking for Release

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Attorneys have filed a petition that seeks the release of an Afghan family of five detained by immigration officials when they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport.

Lawyers say the mother and father and their three children landed at LAX on Thursday for a connecting flight to Seattle, where they planned to resettle. But they were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the International Refugee Assistance Project filed a petition in federal court Saturday seeking their release. It argues that the family was approved for relocation after intense vetting because the father had been employed by the U.S. government in Afghanistan.

ICE officials didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.