What began as a typical morning for a group of day laborers in Pomona, California, quickly turned into fear and confusion when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted a sweep at a Home Depot parking lot, arresting between 15 and 20 individuals.
Witnesses say the raid occurred around 8 a.m., when ICE agents arrived in both marked and unmarked vehicles and began detaining workers gathered in the lot.
"They took 15 to 20 day laborers who were only here asking for work," Alexis Teodoro, the workers' rights director of Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, told ABC7 News. "It is unjust, it is immoral, and it should be a crime," he added.
One witness described the raid as a terrifying experience.
"I arrived here, and when I saw what was happening, I started crying. The tears just came," the man said in Spanish. "We are here. We are human beings. We're only trying to support ourselves and provide for our families."
Shortly after the arrests local immigrant rights organizations held an emergency press conference and rally to condemn the actions and urge undocumented individuals to educate themselves about their rights.
"We know that these types of operations intend to intimidate people who are looking for an honest day's work, not to come to the day labor corners," said Pablo Alvarado, a member of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.
Similarly, Jessica Bansal, an attorney for the same organization, said that if people are detained, they should be able to exercise their rights. "You can refuse to answer questions, and you can ask to speak to an attorney," she explained.
When contacted for comment, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the outlet that due to the agency's "operational tempo" and "increased interest," it could not research or respond to rumors or the specifics of its "routine daily operations."
Following the raid, the Pomona Police Department issued a statement on social media, reiterating that the police department does not conduct immigration enforcement. In the statement, the department said it was not involved in, nor did it cooperate with, any federal agencies during the operation.
Additionally, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement that she directed the Los Angeles County Office of Immigrant Affairs to connect with the Pomona Day Labor Center to ensure those impacted by the raid were receiving the support and resources they need.
"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," she said.
Under the Trump administration, ICE has detained thousands of people in cities such as Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. According to data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, more than 32,000 people were arrested in the first 50 days of the Trump administration.
As of March 13, ICE had made more at-large arrests in the first 50 days of the Trump administration than the total arrests made in 2024 under President Joe Biden.
According to DHS data, nearly half of those arrested (14,111) were convicted criminals and about a third of them (9,980) had pending criminal charges.
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