10 hours ago
ICE agents detain six people outside Pasadena donut shop, witnesses say
Bystanders recorded the immigration operation outside a Pasadena donut shop early Wednesday morning. Witnesses said agents took at least six people into custody.
Ludwin Mendez said one of the people who was detained was his 52-year-old father, who was waiting to get picked up for a job.
"He was just waiting on the bus stop," Mendez said. "He ran but couldn't get away."
Mendez said he is scared because his family is undocumented, but none of his relatives has a criminal history.
"I didn't know what to do, what to think," Mendez said. "I'm scared. It's not fair. We're not doing anything bad. We're just trying to work."
The National Day Laborer Organizing Network said people are planning to protest to show support for immigrant families.
"Community here is living in terror," NDLON spokesperson Jose Madera said. "Community members here are very organized and they've been going around alerting people ICE is here."
Pasadena spokesperson Lisa Derderian said the city or the Pasadena Police Department did not participate in the immigration operation.
"We at the City of Pasadena are deeply saddened and concerned by the events that have taken place in the region over the past several days surrounding the federal government's immigration enforcement activities," Derderian wrote in an email.
For now, Mendez anxiously awaits what's next for his father and the rest of his family.
"Most likely, I will hear from him when he goes back to Honduras," Mendez said. "That's pretty much it."
In a statement, an ICE spokesperson said:
"Due to our operational tempo and the increased interest in our agency, we are not able to research and respond to specifics of routine daily operations for ICE."
State Senator Sasha Renée Perez said her office contacted federal agencies for answers.
"I want to know the status of the people detained this morning, and why the agents are conducting themselves like kidnappers," Perez wrote. "I will be visiting a detention center today to further demand answers alongside Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-28)."
