ICE Detains Day Laborers Outside LA County Home Depot

POMONA, CA — More than a dozen day laborers were detained by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Pomona, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said, citing reports from community members.

The immigration action took place outside a Home Depot as the laborers were beginning their work day Tuesday morning, according to multiple reports.

"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," Solis said in a statement Tuesday evening.

"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."

Solis added that "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."

In addition, she said, "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."

ABC7 quoted one day laborer, identified only as Carlos, as saying in Spanish, "I arrived here, and when I started seeing the scene, I started crying. The tears started leaving. We are here. We are human beings. We're only here to support ourselves and maintain our families."

According to accounts from Carlos and other witnesses to ABC 7, the raid began around 8 a.m., with ICE agents arriving in both marked and unmarked vehicles and rounding up workers.

ICE released the following statement to ABC7: "Due to our operational tempo and the increased interest in our agency, we are not able to research and respond to rumors or specifics of routine daily operations for ICE."

The Pomona Police Department issued a "reminder" on social media that it "does not conduct immigration enforcement, which is a function of federal law enforcement."

"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," the statement said. "Our department had no prior knowledge of the ICE/Border Patrol operation that occurred today."

City News Service