April 23, 2025 – On the morning of April 22, 2025, a routine day for day laborers seeking work outside a Home Depot in Pomona, California, turned chaotic when federal immigration agents detained between 15 and 20 individuals in a targeted operation.
The raid, initially attributed to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) but later clarified as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) action, has ignited fierce debate, drawn condemnation from immigrant rights groups, and raised questions about the future of immigration enforcement under the current administration.
This incident, unfolding in the parking lot of a bustling retail hub, underscores the human toll of immigration policies and the broader implications for communities across Southern California.
The Raid: A Morning of Fear and Disruption
At approximately 8:30 a.m., witnesses reported a sudden influx of federal agents in both marked and unmarked vehicles descending on the Home Depot parking lot at 2707 S Towne Ave.
According to Claudia Bautista, executive director of the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center (PEOC), the operation involved CBP agents, not ICE as initially assumed.
“They took 15-20 day laborers who were only looking for work,” Bautista told local media, emphasizing that the individuals were targeted solely for seeking employment.
Videos circulating on social media and shared with outlets like KTLA and NBC4 captured the scene: agents rounding up workers, some seated on the sidewalk, surrounded by law enforcement.
One day laborer, identified only as Carlos to protect his safety, narrowly escaped detention. Speaking through an interpreter, he shared the emotional weight of the moment with ABC7: “I arrived here, and when I started seeing the scene, I started crying.
The tears started leaving.
We are here.
We are human beings.
We’re only here to support ourselves and maintain our families.”
His words resonate with the broader sentiment among advocates who argue that day laborers, often undocumented immigrants, are unfairly criminalized for pursuing honest work.
Alexis Teodoro, PEOC’s workers’ rights director, called the raid “unjust” and “immoral,” asserting that targeting workers in this manner not only disrupts lives but also undermines the local economy.
“This government should be uplifting jornaleros because they’re workers, and instead, they’re criminalizing them,” Teodoro said during a press conference outside the store, organized by PEOC, the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON).
Community Response: Protests and Calls for Accountability
By noon, dozens of community members, activists, and immigrant rights advocates gathered outside the Home Depot for an emergency rally and press conference.
Demonstrators held signs reading “ICE out of Pomona” and urged the public to remain vigilant.
The PEOC shared updates via Instagram, calling for support and encouraging families of those detained to contact their hotline at 909-361-4588 for assistance.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis swiftly responded, directing the Los Angeles County Office of Immigrant Affairs to collaborate with the Pomona Day Labor Center to provide resources and support to those affected.
In a statement, Solis reaffirmed her commitment to protecting residents’ rights, regardless of immigration status: “While this remains a developing situation, I want to reaffirm my unwavering commitment to ensuring that all residents are aware of and can exercise their constitutional rights.”
She also highlighted a recent $5.5 million allocation by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for RepresentLA, a program offering legal representation to immigrants.
Jessica Bansal, an attorney with NDLON, emphasized the legal protections available to those detained.
“You have the right, everyone has the right—citizen or noncitizen—to remain silent,” Bansal told NBC4.
“You don’t have to answer questions from immigration officers. Everyone has the right to speak to an attorney.”
Her remarks aim to empower communities amid fears of further enforcement actions.
Official Statements and Denials
The Pomona Police Department distanced itself from the operation, posting on social media: “As a reminder, the Pomona Ascertain Enforcement (ICE) agents swept through a Home Depot parking lot in Pomona on Tuesday morning. ICE issued a statement to ABC7, saying, “Due to our operational tempo and the increased interest in our agency, we are not able to research and respond to rumors or specifics of routine daily operations for ICE.”
A Home Depot spokesperson redirected inquiries to law enforcement, stating, “They operate independently of our business.”
Notably, ICE later clarified it was not involved, with CBP identified as the lead agency.
However, neither CBP nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to requests for comment, leaving questions unanswered about the detainees’ whereabouts, the reasons for their detention, or the operation’s broader scope.
Contextualizing the Raid: A Broader Enforcement Surge
The Pomona raid is part of a reported uptick in immigration enforcement since President Donald Trump’s return to office in January 2025.
Trump has vowed to execute “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” a pledge accompanied by a national emergency declaration at the southern border and troop deployments.
Recent actions include a three-day raid in Kern County targeting Latino farmworkers and February 2025 ICE operations at Los Angeles-area homes.
A January 27 incident in Pomona, where a woman was detained by ICE while heading to work, further illustrates the pervasive fear in the region.
Community groups, bracing for such sweeps, have reactivated rapid-response networks established during Trump’s first term.
In Riverside County, volunteers are organizing “ICE/Border Patrol watch shifts” at Home Depot parking lots, training community members to monitor and report enforcement activities.
These efforts reflect a heightened state of alertness among immigrant communities, particularly in California’s agricultural and labor-heavy regions.
The Human and Economic Stakes
Day laborers, or jornaleros, are a vital part of Southern California’s economy, providing flexible labor for construction, landscaping, and other industries.
The Pomona Day Labor Center, supported by PEOC, offers a structured environment where workers access jobs through a lottery-like system and receive training on their rights.
Benjamin Wood, a PEOC representative, noted that informed workers at the center are less vulnerable than those at informal hiring sites, but fear remains palpable.
“The mood at the center is probably a lot less on edge than the rest of the community that is not as well-informed and is really in a state of panic,” Wood told the Daily News in a related context.
The raid’s economic ripple effects are significant.
Detaining workers disrupts not only their livelihoods but also the businesses and households that rely on their services.
Advocates argue that such enforcement prioritizes political optics over economic realities, disproportionately harming vulnerable populations.
Why This Matters: A National Conversation
The Pomona raid has drawn attention beyond Southern California, fueling discussions about immigration policy, labor rights, and racial justice.
Critics, including NDLON’s Pablo Alvarado, argue that these operations aim to “intimidate those seeking honest work.”
Social media posts reflect polarized sentiments: some, like X user @ErrolWebber, frame the detainees as “criminal illegal aliens” displacing American workers, while others, like @xicanaboxing, call for solidarity and vigilance.
The incident also raises questions about enforcement transparency and accountability.
The lack of detailed information from federal agencies—coupled with ICE’s vague statement—has frustrated advocates and local officials seeking clarity.
As Solis noted, ensuring access to legal resources and constitutional protections is critical in this climate.
Looking Ahead: Community Resilience and Policy Debates
As Pomona reels from the raid, community organizations are doubling down on support efforts.
The PEOC and its partners are distributing know-your-rights materials, connecting families with legal aid, and advocating for policy changes to protect workers.
Meanwhile, the incident has reignited calls for comprehensive immigration reform, a contentious issue as the Trump administration ramps up enforcement.
For now, the detained laborers’ fates remain uncertain, their stories a stark reminder of the human cost of immigration policy.
Carlos’s words echo: “We are human beings.”
As the nation grapples with these divides, Pomona’s Home Depot parking lot has become a flashpoint in a larger struggle for dignity, rights, and justice.
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