LOS ANGELES — On Tuesday, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection raid at a Home Depot in Pomona led to the arrests of as many as 25 people, heightening concerns about the Trump administration’s targeting of immigrant workers, particularly as Los Angeles begins rebuilding after January’s devastating firestorms.
According to a press release reported by the Los Angeles Times, dozens of day laborers were gathered outside the Home Depot on South Towne Avenue during the operation.
Initially, community members reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had carried out the raid, but ICE officials denied involvement and directed inquiries to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The Pomona Police Department stated it “did not collaborate with any federal agencies on their operation.”
A senior official with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the Tuesday operation targeted a specific individual with an outstanding arrest warrant.
“During the operation, nine additional illegal aliens were encountered and taken into custody. Several of those apprehended had prior charges, including child abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, immigration violations, and DUI,” the official said.
Another DHS official said 10 people were arrested, although immigration advocates initially estimated as many as 25.
The raid comes just three months after the historic January firestorms, which destroyed more than 16,000 homes and left a dire need for labor in the construction industry, according to the Times.
The National Association of Home Builders estimates that 41% of construction workers nationwide are immigrants, with experts suggesting that the percentage is even higher in residential construction in Southern California.
A UC Irvine professor of political science and law noted:
“There are not enough skilled workers in the construction industry if you take out all the folks from across Latin America who are here doing it.”
Immigration advocates condemned the raid, saying it targeted law-abiding workers trying to support themselves and their families.
Ron Gochez, a member of Unión del Barrio and the Community Self-Defense Coalition, said:
“We have families who are now missing the main breadwinner for their home. The Trump administration is lying when they talk about targeting criminals. They’re targeting people trying to look for work.”
Some workers who were not detained attempted to contact family members of those arrested but remained fearful that immigration officials would return. A worker named Juan, who declined to give his last name due to his immigration status, told reporters:
“We have to come out and work, but if we are taken, the family will be affected.”
Another worker, Enrique Rios, said the raid seemed unusually targeted:
“Immigration came and approached a specific group of people,” Rios said in Spanish. “They did not bother anyone else.”
L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis directed the L.A. County Office of Immigrant Affairs to coordinate with the Pomona Day Labor Center to provide support for those impacted by the raid.
“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,” Solis said.
California Sen. Alex Padilla said his office is seeking answers from the Department of Homeland Security:
“Hardworking immigrant families deserve better than to live in fear,” Padilla said.
Palmira Figueroa, a spokesperson for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, also criticized the operation:
“The federal government is removing day laborers who have families to feed.”
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, between 11 million and 15 million immigrants are living without proper documentation in the U.S., including more than 2 million in California. Trump has vowed to carry out the largest deportation effort in U.S. history.
As of press time, many family members of those arrested said they still had no information on the whereabouts of their loved ones.
