Federal immigration agents detained a group of day laborers on Tuesday morning in Pomona, activists said.
Claudia Bautista, the executive director with the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, said the organization was notified at around 9:30 a.m. that immigration agents were at the local Home Depot.
“When we got there we realized it was not ICE but Border Patrol,” she said. “They took 15-20 day laborers who were only looking for work.”
“It is not a crime to look for work. It is not a crime to be a day laborer,” Jessica Bansal, an attorney with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said on KTLA.
Videos shared with the broadcast station show several unmarked cars and vehicles appearing to belong to Border Patrol entering the parking lot.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis in a statement said she asked a county agency to ensure those affected to receive the support and resources they need. She said about 15-20 day laborers were detained.
“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 in the statement.
Bautista is asking anyone affected by Tuesday’s immigration operation to reach out to the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice hotline: 909-361-4588.
A Home Depot representative said to reach out to law enforcement with any questions, saying of the immigration enforcement operation, “They operate independently of our business.”
The Pomona Police Department in a Facebook post said the agency does not conduct immigration enforcement and was not involved in Tuesday’s operation.
Federal agencies did not immediately confirm how many people were detained, say why they were detained or where they may be being held. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) representative said that agency was not involved in the operation. The U.S. Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement since Donald Trump stepped back into the Oval Office in January, saying he intends to “carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.”