Federal raid and arrests in Pomona spark concern, outrage in community

A federal raid at a Home Depot store in Pomona has sparked concern as families and community members said a group of day laborers were taken into custody Tuesday.

Immigrant rights advocates held a demonstration outside the store, protesting the targeting of those they described as innocent civilians.

“Our people should not be living in fear,” one speaker said.

“Today, approximately between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., Border Patrol agents, both with marked and unmarked vehicles, showed up to Home Depot from two entrances,” said Alexis Teodoro, a Worker Rights Director with the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center. “They took approximately 15-20 day laborers.”

Video of the incident showed vehicles appearing to belong to Border Patrol surrounding the store’s parking lot Tuesday morning. The people who were taken into custody were transported to an undisclosed location.

A man named Carlos spoke in Spanish as he described witnessing the raid.

“I arrived here and when I started seeing the scene, I started crying,” his translator told KTLA. “We’re here, we’re human beings, we’re only here to support ourselves and to maintain our families.”

“It is not a crime to look for work,” said Jessica Bansal, an attorney with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. “It is not a crime to be a day laborer. So we are asking, ‘What information did Border Patrol have when it made these arrests?’”

On the same morning at a nearby barber shop on Holt Avenue in Pomona, Miguel Majin said his father was also taken into custody without warning.

Surveillance video showed Majin’s father arriving at the barber shop he has owned for about 20 years. He steps out of his car to open a gate and moments later, a van and SUV surround him as several agents quickly approach him with guns drawn.

“They get him at gunpoint and he surrenders,” Majin tells KTLA’s Shelby Nelson. “I think it’s unnecessary to use guns. My dad’s not a criminal. He has properties. He pays taxes.”

Majin said he has no idea where his father has been taken. He does confirm that his father had been previously been deported in the early 2000s.

“I get that they’re deporting criminals, but my dad is not a criminal and I believe it’s not fair what’s happening in Pomona,” Majin said.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis issued a statement on the incident, saying:

“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.

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.”

It remains unclear which agencies were involved in both operations.

A spokesperson told KTLA that neither the U.S. Department of Homeland Security nor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was involved in the Home Depot raid. 

KTLA has reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials about the incidents and is awaiting a response.