Latest news with #PomonaPoliceDepartment
CBS News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Pomona residents outraged after federal agents seen detaining more than a dozen day laborers outside of Home Depot
Some Pomona residents were joined by activists as they demanded the release of more than a dozen day laborers who were seen being taken into custody by federal agents outside of a Home Depot on Tuesday. "Our people should not be living in fear," said Lizbeth Abeln, Deputy Director of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, during a rally. "This is something that has been happening across the U.S." The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has not yet returned request for information on the arrests, which come on the heels of the Trump Administration's executive order to enforce the nation's immigration laws. He says that illegal immigration costs taxpayers billions of dollars and threatens public safety. Carlos is one of many day laborers in Southern California that disputes those claims. He was at the Home Depot when he saw people being taken into custody. "When I started seeing the scene I started crying," he told CBS News Los Angeles in Spanish. "We're here only to find work, to support our families, from wherever they're from. From Honduras, from Central America, from Mexico." After the news began to gather traction through the city, Pomona Police Department officials made a post on social media to say that they had no prior knowledge that the detainments would take place and that they did not collaborate with the operation. "As a reminder, the Pomona Police Department does not conduct immigration enforcement, which is a function of federal law enforcement," their statement said. Residents say the Home Depot incident wasn't the only immigration enforcement operation that happened in Pomona on Tuesday. "My dad was arrested by, I believe, it was Border Patrol at gunpoint," said Miguel Majin. "I think that was unnecessary." He said that his father was on his way to work at the barbershop he's owned for more than two decades. He believes that law enforcement is focusing on the wrong things. "They're not doing anything about the homeless doing drugs, but yet they're taking people that are working every day and paying taxes," Majin said. The Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice and Pomona Day Laborer Center is urging people to call their rapid response hotline to report an immigration raid. Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis also shared a statement upon learning of the operation. "This morning, my office was alerted by community members of a federal Homeland Security presence in the City of Pomona, where approximately 15–20 day laborers were reportedly 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. Just last week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved an additional $5.5 million in funding for RepresentLA—a program dedicated to providing our immigrant community with access to legal representation," the statement said. "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."
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
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.' 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.' 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.
CBS News
29-03-2025
- CBS News
4 Pomona gang members with ties to Mexican Mafia found guilty of murder, feds say
Four men federal authorities describe as gang members from Pomona with ties to the Mexican Mafia were found guilty of murder Friday. A jury found Michael Lerma, 68, a.k.a. "Pomona Mike" and "Big Mike," Carlos Gonzalez, 41, a.k.a. "Popeye," Juan Sanchez, 33, a.k.a. "Squeaks" and Jose Valencia Gonzalez, 44, a.k.a. "Swifty" guilty of first-degree murder for the June 2020 killing of an inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in downtown Los Angeles. They were also convicted of one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and one count of violent crimes in aid of racketeering (VICAR) murder. It was at Lerma's direction that the other four defendants murdered a victim who authorities have only identified as "S.B." in retaliation for the victim not paying off drug debts owed to Lerma's cell of the Mexican Mafia prison gang, prosecutors said. He has been described by federal officials as a full member of the Mexican Mafia prison gang who controlled and extorted drug money from street gangs in and around the Pomona area as well as from inmates at the Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County. Prosecutors said those crimes occurred between February 2012 and June 2020, and others within Lerma's criminal enterprise committed identity theft and fraud, drug trafficking, robberies and other violent crimes. The convictions are part of a larger RICO case in which federal prosecutors have secured 16 other convictions. Among the other defendants are Cheryl Perez-Castaneda, 62, of Pomona and Kelly Deshannon, 43, of La Verne. According to federal prosecutors, Perez-Castaneda was a high-level associate of Lerma's and acted as a so-called "señora" within the gang who held power on the street in carrying out criminal activity. She is serving a 12-year prison sentence for soliciting a murder and taking part in a carjacking attempt that resulted in a shooting in July 2013. Prosecutors said Deshannon served as a so-called "secretary" to Lerma and she is serving more than seven years in prison for facilitating the July 2013 armed robbery of the same person targeted in the carjacking and shooting involving Perez-Castaneda. She was also convicted of extortion and distributing narcotics. The case has been investigated by the FBI, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Pomona Police Department, El Monte Police Department and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Man, 20, shot dead in violent face-off with Southern California police
A 20-year-old man was fatally shot by police after allegedly pulling a gun on an officer and earlier this year, officials with the Pomona Police Department announced. The violent Feb. 3 incident unfolded after 911 operators with PPD received a call from a woman reporting that the suspect, now identified as Isaac Cannon, was chasing two Hispanic men and that he was armed with a gun. Officers responded to the area of Stratus Drive and Murchinson Avenue just after 10 p.m., the area in which the 911 caller said she had seen the 20-year-old suspect. Dash-cam footage from one of the responding officer's patrol vehicles captured Cannon walking up Stratus Drive toward Murchinson with both hands inside the front pocket of a hooded sweatshirt. According to police officials, the officer exited his vehicle and created distance between himself and the suspect. In body-worn camera footage, the officer can be seen with his gun extended toward the 20-year-old, who walked around the rear of the cruiser. 'Take your hands out of your f—— pockets,' the officer is heard saying and then screaming, 'Drop the gun!' Manhunt underway for suspect who allegedly stabbed Orange County deputy Video of the suspect appears to show him pulling out a handgun and bringing it up just as the officer opens fire, striking the 20-year-old who falls to the ground. Officers at the scene attempted life-saving measures until medical personnel with the Los Angeles County Fire Department arrived and declared Cannon dead at the scene. It's unclear if investigators have spoken to the two young men the suspect had reportedly been chasing. No further information, including whether Cannon is a Pomona resident from somewhere else, was provided. The use of lethal force is under investigation by the Pomona Police Department, the L.A. County District Attorney's Office and the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
