ICE raid reportedly detains more than a dozen day laborers outside Home Depot
Laborers who arrived at a Home Depot in Pomona on Tuesday morning in hopes of earning a day's wage were met with uniformed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who reportedly began rounding up workers in the parking lot.
L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said her office was told by community members that around 15 to 20 people were detained.
"In response, I immediately directed the Los Angeles County Office of Immigrant Affairs to connect with the Pomona Day Labor Center to ensure those impacted receive the support and resources they need," she said in a statement. "While this remains a developing situation, I want to reaffirm my unwavering commitment to ensuring that all residents, regardless of their immigration status, are aware of and can exercise their constitutional rights."
One of the day laborers, who avoided being detained, spoke to ABC7 News about the traumatic effect of the raid.
"I arrived here, and when I started seeing the scene, I started crying. The tears started leaving," the man said in Spanish. "We are here. We are human beings. We're only here to support ourselves and maintain our families."
Read more: Despite rumors of a massive immigration sweep in Los Angeles, numbers don't add up
Immigrant rights groups were quick to condemn the action. The raid occurred about 8:30 a.m. and involved both marked and unmarked vans, according to the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, a nonprofit day labor organization.
"We won't stay quiet. Seeking employment is not a crime. Providing for those you love is not a crime," the center said in a statement on social media. "Please stay vigilant and spread power, not fear."
The organization urged community members to report immigration enforcement to the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice's rapid response hotline at (909) 361-4588. In the wake of President Trump's vows to crackdown on illegal immigration, community groups have been setting up tip lines across California to help track and disseminate information about ICE activity.
ICE did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment. It issued a statement to ABC7 saying that it is not able to provide specific information on routine daily operations due to the tempo of the agency's work and high volume of requests it receives.
The Pomona Police Department confirmed that an immigration action took place Tuesday, but said it had no prior knowledge of or involvement in the raid.
"As a reminder, the Pomona Police Department does not conduct immigration enforcement, which is a function of federal law enforcement," the department said in a statement. "Pomona PD was not involved in the detainment of individuals near Home Depot today and did not collaborate with any federal agencies on their operation."
Read more: Community groups set up strike teams to respond to Trump's mass deportation plans
Trump has vowed to carry out the largest deportation effort in U.S. history and declared a national emergency at the southern border, deploying troops there.
He has issued executive orders limiting legal pathways for entering the United States, bolstering efforts to seal off the U.S.-Mexico border, and promoting sweeps to round up and deport people who are not authorized to be in the United States.
There are an estimated 11 million to 15 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., including more than 2 million in California, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Under the Trump administration, ICE has already conducted well-publicized operations in Chicago and New York. Many wonder whether Southern California will be the next target for a large-scale immigration action.
In February, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials knocked on the doors of a handful of Los Angeles-area homes. Earlier this year, U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted a three-day raid in rural parts of Kern County targeting Latino farmworkers and day laborers.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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