Home Depot Immigration Raid Leaves Nearly a Dozen Day Laborers Detained

• Home Depot immigration raid
• Day laborers detained in federal operation
• Activists denounce immigration abuses

Nearly a dozen day laborers were detained on Wednesday during an immigration enforcement operation at a Home Depot in the Inland Empire, according to several witnesses.

Among those arrested was a community worker who was released hours later.

The director of the Pomona Day Labor Center confirmed that the woman, a volunteer with the organization for the past week, was released later that afternoon.

The reasons for her detention and why agents included her in the operation remain unclear.

Home Depot immigration raid causes alarm in the Inland Empire

Witnesses at the scene stated that the operation occurred around 9:30 a.m. and that masked men wearing bulletproof vests took away about ten people.

Several day laborers reported that this was the eighth Home Depot immigration raid at the same location in recent months.

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“It’s like the eighth time they’ve done a raid here,” said Alexis Theodoro, director of the Pomona Day Labor Center, in an interview with Telemundo 52.

The activist explained that among those detained was a volunteer from his team who, at the time of the operation, was documenting the raid and informing workers about their rights.

Community voices denounce a pattern of operations

Theodoro added that the Center’s mission is to inform day laborers about their rights regardless of immigration status and emphasized that observation and documentation efforts are part of their community work.

Throughout the day, several workers refused to speak on camera for fear of retaliation.

Still, they agreed that the Home Depot immigration raid generated fear among those waiting for daily jobs in the parking lot located between 21st Street and Lincoln.

A witness recorded part of the operation with a cellphone, showing agents in action. The video is now circulating among workers as evidence of the incident.

Reactions and official response

The Home Depot company issued a statement clarifying that it does not receive prior notification when the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducts such operations.

“In many cases, we are unaware of the arrests until everything is over. We are required to comply with federal and local laws in every city where we operate,” said a spokesperson.

Meanwhile, labor and immigrant rights activists said they would intensify their efforts to educate the community about their constitutional rights.

“We can be eyewitnesses and record immigration agents. We have the right to record ICE, and it’s a right in this country,” Theodoro reiterated.

Telemundo 52 attempted to obtain a statement from the Department of Homeland Security to learn more about the operation and the status of the detainees but received no response.

It was also not possible to reach the released volunteer for comment.