Roadrunner Food Bank helps people learn job skills through training program
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Angelo Jimenez hasn't had it easy. 'My grandfather had it, my dad has it, I have it, my sister has it. It's called dilated cardiomyopathy,' he said. The genetic condition led him to have a heart transplant in 2017, which was followed by a long recovery. 'It was hard to get back to normal me after my transplant,' said Jimenez.
In an effort to gain independence, he applied for the Job Training Program at Roadrunner Food Bank. 'Its goal is to assist people who would ordinarily have difficulty finding employment or keeping employment,' said Teresa Trujillo, Job Training Program Manager at Roadrunner Food Bank.
From veterans to people with disabilities, to others reentering society from the justice system, the program teaches people job skills, like managing a warehouse or earning their commercial driver's license. The participants also get paid for their hours of training. 'It's the perfect environment for someone who hasn't worked before,' said Trujillo.
Through the program, Jimenez was hired on full-time and earned his CDL. 'I had never had a job before, actually, so this is technically my first job still,' said Jimenez.
He said it's helped him with his social skills and then some. 'My coworkers. I can't say it enough, really. Those guys, they make the day go by,' he said. 'It's like a family here, pretty much.'
So far, about ten people have made it through the program. While Jimenez went on to work full time at the food bank, others have gone on to use their training to land reliable jobs across the state. You can learn more about the program by clicking this link.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Los Angeles Times
7 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
How a strawberry delivery driver was caught in a fight between Newsom and Trump
The strawberry delivery driver was making his last drop-off in Little Tokyo, unloading nearly a dozen boxes onto the sidewalk outside the Japanese American National Museum. Inside the building, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his allies were holding a news conference about a Democratic Party plan to fight back against President Trump's efforts to maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives through redistricting in Texas. Angel Rodrigo Minguela Palacios knew nothing of the powerful men's clash as he stacked cardboard boxes filled with ripe, red fruit Thursday morning. He also didn't know that dozens of Border Patrol agents were massing nearby. Minguela was caught between the two spectacles. His life was about to be upended. In the days that followed, Newsom accused the Trump administration of trying to intimidate the president's political opponents by sending the immigration agents. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin has said the agents were 'focused on enforcing the law' not on Newsom. Newsom has since submitted a Freedom of Information Act request seeking records from the administration about why agents arrived at the museum as he was announcing his latest skirmish with the president. For Minguela, who has been in the country for close to a decade, that day felt a lot more personal. He was arrested by Border Patrol agents and now faces deportation back to Mexico. Speaking from behind a plexiglass window at the 'B-18' federal detention center in downtown L.A. on Monday, Minguela stressed that he is not a criminal. 'One comes here to work, not commit crimes,' said Minguela, who wore the same red T-shirt and jeans he'd been arrested in four days prior. When asked last week whether the person arrested outside the news conference had a criminal record, a Homeland Security spokesperson said the agency would share a criminal rap sheet when it was available. After four follow-up emails from a reporter, McLaughlin on Saturday said agents had arrested 'two illegal aliens' in the vicinity of Newsom's news conference — including 'an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member and narcotics trafficker.' Asked twice to clarify whether the alleged gang member and narcotics trafficker were the same person, Homeland Security officials did not respond. But when presented with Minguela's biographical information Monday, the department said he had been arrested because he overstayed his visa — a civil, not criminal, offense. Border Patrol Sector Chief Gregory Bovino told Fox News on Aug. 15 that operations were based on intelligence about the alleged Tren de Aragua gang member. They arrested that man two blocks away from Newsom's news conference. Two law enforcement sources who asked to remain anonymous as they were not authorized to speak with the media told The Times they had received word from federal authorities that Little Tokyo had been targeted because of its proximity to the Newsom event. For those who know Minguela, it felt like mala suerte — bad luck. As Martha Franco, one of Minguela's employers, put it, 'He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.' :: Like every other weekday, Minguela rose before the sun to start his 2 a.m. delivery route Thursday. He had around eight places to hit. He'd worked for the same produce company for around eight years and never missed a day. That day, Minguela left his partner and their three children — ages 15, 12 and 7 — asleep in their home, hours before the kids would head off for their first day of school. His partner, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, had worked the night before as a cashier at a liquor store. She did not get off work until about 12:30 a.m. She brought him coffee as he started his day. Shortly before 6 a.m., Minguela called his partner to wake her up so she could take the kids to school. Throughout the morning, they checked in with each other on how the day was progressing. She called to warn him about immigration agents at Slauson and Miles avenues in Huntington Park. Over the last couple of months, as immigration raids became a part of daily life, the couple's world had slowly shrunk. Minguela had overstayed a tourist visa after fleeing the Mexican state of Coahuila in 2015 because of violence he faced there, his partner said. She said he had worked servicing ATMs there, was kidnapped twice and at one point was stabbed by people intent on stealing the money. After his employers cut staff, she said, he lost his job, helping drive his decision to leave. Because he was undocumented, he rarely went out, leaving the house only for work and errands. Minguela began wondering whether it was even safe for him to pick up the kids from school, his partner said. He planned ahead, made copies of his keys and left money for his family in the event that he was grabbed by immigration agents. That morning, he reassured his partner he was fine. He was heading to his last stop at a tea room in Little Tokyo. 'Ten mucho cuidado,' his partner told him. Be very careful. :: The Border Patrol agents descended on 1st Street in Little Tokyo about 11:30 a.m., just as Newsom's news conference got underway. They were decked out in camouflage and helmets, their faces obscured by black masks. One wore an American flag neck gaiter. They were armed, some with AR-15-style weapons. Nearby, Minguela was busy unloading several boxes of strawberries and a box of apples. He didn't notice the agents until they were close behind him. Then, he ducked back inside the van. A video shared with The Times shows at least eight Border Patrol agents as they passed the van, its side door wide-open. They did not stop. Then, one appeared to double back and peek inside. Minguela said he feels he was targeted based on his physical appearance. When the agent began asking him questions, Minguela said he pulled a red 'know your rights' card out of his wallet and handed it to the agent. 'This is of no use to me,' he said the agent told him. Another agent soon joined them. Minguela told them he didn't have to talk. But they kept asking questions, he said. What was his nationality? What was his name? Did he have papers? 'They demanded I show them some kind of identification,' he said. 'Insisting, insisting.' The agents were armed, and Minguela said he grew scared. Believing he had no choice, Minguela said, he gave one of the agents his California driver's license. Minguela tried to call his partner twice, but she was at a doctor's appointment and couldn't answer. At 11:22 a.m., he sent her three WhatsApp messages: 'Amor ya me agarró la te preocupes.' 'Todo va a estar bien.' 'Diosito nos va a ayudar mucho.' Immigration had gotten him, he said, but everything would be fine. God would help them, he assured her. Minguela sent her a picture of an agent holding his license and seemingly plugging the information from it into a phone. Then, the agent arrested him. Video captured Minguela, hands cuffed behind his back, as the agent linked an arm through his. He walked Minguela away from the van, toward Bovino. After conferring with colleagues, the agent walked Minguela back toward his delivery van. Bovino patted the agent on the back and said, 'Well done.' At about the same time, one of Minguela's employers, Isaias Franco, received a call from Little Tokyo warning him about the immigration activity. He immediately called Minguela, whose cell number is saved in his phone under 'paisa,' countryman. Both hail from the Mexican city of Torreón. No answer. Franco texted him, trying to tell him what was unfolding. By that time, though, Minguela was already in handcuffs. :: Hours before visitation began at the detention center in downtown L.A. on Monday, families began lining up along a driveway where 'B-18' was stamped in black on a concrete wall. Someone had scrawled on the ground in chalk: 'Abolish ICE' and 'Viva La Raza.' Another message read, 'Civil disobedience becomes a duty when the state becomes lawless and corrupt.' By 11:30 a.m., 18 people were waiting for visitation to start at 1 p.m. In less than an hour, that number had ballooned to 33. Three siblings there to visit their uncle who had been arrested at a car wash in Long Beach the day before. A woman whose uncle was taken from a Home Depot in Pasadena. Two sisters whose loved one had been arrested at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-in. They carried bags of medication and sweaters for detained loved ones, because they'd heard it was cold inside. Each person hoped to get in before visitation ended at 4 p.m., although it seemed increasingly unlikely for those at the back of the line. Martha and Isaias, Minguela's employers, were among the hopeful. It was their third attempt to see him. The day of Minguela's arrest, they got there too late. The next day, they arrived earlier and were in luck. On the advice of others in line, they brought a jacket to keep Minguela warm. In the years they've employed Minguela, they've only ever seen his serious, professional side. But during the five minutes they got to visit with him Friday, he spent most of it in tears, hardly able to speak. The couple assured him they would help however they could. They returned on Monday, this time bringing a blue Ralph Lauren shirt and a pair of black New Balance socks so he could change clothing. Isaias and the couple's son, Carlos, had both come, despite starting their workday at 2 a.m. 'We're going to be with him until the end,' Martha said. 'He's part of our family. He's one of us.' As the hours wore on, people in line squatted or sat on the concrete to rest their aching legs. Martha flitted around, advising people to bring sweaters for loved ones and letting them know the officers allowed in only one item of clothing for each detained person. By the start of visitation, 44 people were in line. Martha was No. 19. Families exited red-eyed, tears dripping down their cheeks after getting only a few minutes with their loved ones. About 3 p.m., after waiting three and a half hours, the Francos handed the officer their passports and identification, before finally making it inside. They had to turn off their phones. They could give Minguela only the T-shirt. The officer said no to the socks, a prohibited second item of clothing. Minguela beamed when he saw the Francos, who greeted him through the plexiglass window. He was trying to maintain his spirits, but said he felt 'impotente.' Powerless. The Francos told him not to sign anything. 'Vamos a estar con usted,' Isaias told Minguela, letting him know they would be with him. He and Carlos fist bumped Minguela through the Plexiglass. 'Échale ganas,' Isaias added, keep going. :: Minguela's children have hardly stopped crying since his arrest. During the eight years he and his partner have been together, he's helped raise her two children and their 7-year-old son, who is autistic. Minguela's lawyer, Alex Galvez, said the hope is that his client will be released on bond, as he initially entered the country lawfully and is the primary breadwinner for the family. The lawyer said he believes Minguela was arrested in defiance of a federal judge's order that immigration authorities cannot racially profile people or use roving patrols to target immigrants. 'It was a political opportunity. He was one of the two guys picked up right during Newsom's press conference,' Galvez said. 'They had to show something for it.' Just days before his arrest, Minguela's family had celebrated his 48th birthday. His partner made him his favorite dish, shrimp ceviche. Her birthday was Tuesday. The family had planned to go on a rare outing for a dinner of enchiladas de mole. But they spent the day without him. There was no celebration. The children asked their mother, as they have every day for nearly a week: When is papá coming home? Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Cooperating with ICE will lead to innocent West Virginians being profiled, arrested
A protester holds up a sign opposing collaboration between local police and federal immigration officials at the state Capitol in Phoenix on Feb. 10, 2025. (Photo by Gloria Rebecca Gomez | Arizona Mirror) Last week, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced that West Virginia is now participating in Immigration and Customs Enforcement's 287(g) program, which will allow the National Guard and local police to enforce certain immigration laws. Fox News called this one of the most 'wide-ranging agreements' a state has forged with ICE under President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. The 287(g) program was discontinued in 2012 after a Department of Justice investigation found widespread racial profiling and other discrimination against Latinos by an Arizona task force, Stateline reported. Although West Virginia is nearly 1,500 miles away from the U.S. southern border, Morrisey said during a press conference that the state has 'effectively become a border state.' He also blamed the people entering the country illegally for 'unlimited amounts of fentanyl flooding into our state.' The majority of fentanyl is smuggled into the country by people who can enter the U.S. legally, according to the American Immigration Council. Fewer than half of people arrested by ICE since Trump took office are actually convicted criminals and only 5% were arrested for drug crimes nationally. So either ICE is doing a terrible job, or immigrants aren't the problem. The Deportation Data Project reported earlier this month that 1 in 5 ICE arrests are of Latinos with no criminal past or removal order. A substantial portion of ICE arrests this year were a result of illegal profiling. Basically, people are being arrested for having brown skin. If your argument for ICE is that people should enter the country legally, then shouldn't ICE be only using legal methods to arrest people? The legal route for ICE to make an arrest would be if a suspect was arrested first by local police and found to be in the country illegally. Raiding Japanese and Mexican restaurants or hanging out at Home Depot and Lowes is not the legal way. In July, a court in California ordered ICE to stop using these methods to arrest people in the Los Angeles area, and an appeals court upheld that order. Since then, street arrests went down by 83%. ICE's illegal profiling has also resulted in numerous U.S. citizens and legal immigrants being arrested. Morrisey's move will result in your friends, neighbors and co-workers being profiled and arrested for not passing as white. In Alabama, a man was tackled at his worksite and ICE officers said his REAL ID was fake. It wasn't. A man in California was detained for three days, despite being a legal citizen. A woman in Los Angeles was grabbed by ICE agents moments after her family dropped her off for work — witnesses said they never even asked to see her ID. West Virginia has a small number of immigrants — only about 2% of the population, but they also account for 18% of employees in farming, fishing and forestry occupations, and 11% in science occupations, such as microbiologists, biochemists and epidemiologists. Immigrants contribute a lot to West Virginia. In 2023, they paid $450.3 million in taxes. And thanks to immigrants, our population loss was less severe than it would have been without them. As of 2018, about 52% of immigrants in the Mountain State had gone through the long process to become legal U.S. citizens. And about 42% of adult immigrants had a college degree or higher that same year — compared to 19.6% of West Virginians. There are many reasons people choose to migrate to the United States without going through the proper channels — crime, violence, war or simply to build a better life — but our immigration policy has made it harder and harder for people to immigrate here legally. Immigrants aren't the enemy that Trump's administration is trying to paint them to be. Immigrants are not causing problems in West Virginia. Maybe it's time Morrisey remembered that West Virginia was settled by immigrants and be grateful they still want to live here. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Safety upgrades completed at Morningside Park in Albuquerque
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