Border Patrol agents took at least seven people during multiple immigration raids at Home Depots in Van Nuys on Friday, federal authorities confirmed Saturday.
Videos posted to Instagram by @valleyviewssfv showed at least two raids taking place in Home Depot parking lots on Friday morning, where a large presence of masked federal agents dressed in tactical gear arrested workers and took them away in unmarked vehicles.
The Department of Homeland Security later told KTLA that the seven detainees were from Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras. The first raid was reported around 7:15 a.m. by local leaders, and the second around 11:30 a.m.
Later Friday morning, Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath took to X to express distaste for the federal government’s tactics in immigration arrests.
“This morning in Van Nuys, several of our neighbors were forcibly taken by ICE. ICE agents showed no warrants & car windows were smashed,” said Horvath. Federal officials did not confirm or comment on the supervisor’s claim about property damages.
Horvath’s post went on to add, “The Trump administration is defying a court order to stop terrorizing our immigrant communities. It is heartbreaking, it is lawless, and it must end.”
On Aug. 4, the settlement of a class action lawsuit challenging federal immigration home arrest practices in L.A. was approved by a U.S. District Court judge. This means that ICE and other federal immigration officers are no longer allowed to identify themselves as local police or use deceptive tactics during home arrests in Southern California. In addition, agents may not claim to be conducting criminal investigations, probation or parole checks, or other public safety inquiries unless those claims are accurate.
Disputing claims of targeting people based on their skin color, race or ethnicity during these raids, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S.”
The federal government did not comment on the tactics used in the arrests on Friday, but videos show the agents wearing vests that say “POLICE” and “U.S. BORDER PATROL,” along with their common use of masks and unmarked vehicles.
Friday’s raids came just two days after federal agents conducted an operation dubbed “Trojan Horse” at a Los Angeles Home Depot parking lot, where they used a Penske rental truck to disguise their presence before popping out and arresting 16 individuals.
In response to the Aug. 6 raid, Home Depot provided KTLA with a statement that read, “We aren’t notified that ICE activities are going to happen, and we’re not involved in them. In many cases, we don’t know that arrests have taken place until after they’re over. We’re required to follow all federal and local rules and regulations in every market where we operate.”
DHS indicated the Wednesday raid was in response to MS-13 gang activity in the area.
“America’s brave men and women are removing murderers, MS-13 gang members, pedophiles, rapists—truly the worst of the worst from Golden State communities,” said McLaughlin. She also noted that, on Friday, “Of the 7 detainees 4 had criminal records spanning from multiple DUIs, arrest for disorderly conduct (prostitution), failure to appear for removal (ICE fugitive), and a prior removal.”
Nidia Becerra and Vanessa Garcia contributed to this report.