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Irvine special education teacher detained at LAX, transferred to Adelanto ICE facility

Oct 6, 2026·Location: Los Angeles, CA

Country of origin: China

Irvine special education teacher detained at LAX, transferred to Adelanto ICE facility
Photo via hindustantimes.com

A viral cellphone video shows a woman being surrounded by plainclothes, masked men and placed into an unmarked white van with DHS markings outside Los Angeles International Airport before dawn. In the footage she repeatedly pleads for bystanders to call 911, insists 'I'm not doing anything wrong,' and only gives her name after being pressed, while one man confirms he is an ICE agent citing an 'immigration violation' without further explanation. Social media users identified her as Jing Zhao, an Irvine, California special education teacher with an MBA who provided early childhood intervention and speech support to children with developmental needs. A parent of a child she once tutored described her as a patient, dedicated teacher who 'walked into our family and helped my child, little by little,' and expressed hope she would receive legal help and a fair process. Detention records later showed she was transferred to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County, though ICE has not issued a public statement confirming her identity or the specific violation alleged. Airport officials said federal agencies conduct independent investigations and that airport operations continued as normal.

Timeline

Oct 6, 2026—Detention records confirmed she had been transferred to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center; ICE had not publicly confirmed her identity or the alleged violation.
Oct 4, 2026—Reports noted conflicting names (Jing Zhao vs. Angel Zhao) and questioned whether agents met federal identification requirements.
Oct 3, 2026—Video went viral; social media users identified the woman as Jing Zhao and, separately, as an Irvine special education teacher with an MBA.
Oct 2, 2026—Plainclothes federal agents detained a woman outside LAX and placed her into an unmarked van, with video capturing her pleas and an agent citing an 'immigration violation.'
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