A video showing federal agents walking through an Inland Empire grocery store Monday morning prompted a call for answers by community advocates.
The video shared by the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ICIJ) showed agents exiting an “employees only” area at the Stater Bros. location on West Hold Boulevard in Ontario.
The incident prompted ICIJ Executive Director Javier Hernandez to ask why the agents were allowed into the store and expressed concerns over the Ontario Police Department’s role in the operation.
Stater Bros. issued a statement Monday afternoon regarding the incident.
“Unannounced, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents informed the Store Manager at our Ontario Stater Bros. Market that they were conducting surveillance on an individual at a nearby donut shop located within the same shopping plaza. According to the agents, the individual entered our store, prompting them to follow him inside,” the statement reads.
There were later unconfirmed reports that three people, including a U.S. citizen, had been taken into custody at some point during the operation. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately release information about anyone being detained.
The Ontario Police Department also issued a statement, indicating they were responding to reports that a federal agent may have been assaulted, but had no further role after learning the agents were acting in an official capacity.
“This morning, at approximately 9:45 a.m., our officers responded to the possible assault of a federal law enforcement officer in the 500 block of West Hold Blvd. Upon arrival, our officers confirmed that the individuals involved were federal agents acting in an official capacity as they attempted to apprehend a wanted individual. This represented the entirety of our department’s role in the situation,” the Police Department said in the statement.