As part of President Trump’s Operation Take Back America, a team of Border Patrol agents arrested ten illegal aliens in Pomona, California, on Tuesday. Nine of the illegal aliens arrested were found outside a Home Depot store. The arrests that sparked a protest by an immigrants rights group included one illegal alien convicted of a weapons charge and child abuse with serious bodily injury.
A small group of protesters appeared within hours at the Pomona Home Depot site, carrying signs that read, “ICE Out of Pomona.” The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) posted a video on social media showing a small group of protestors chanting anti-ICE slogans. Most media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times reported the incident as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation, despite the presence of marked Border Patrol vehicles and uniformed Border Patrol agents.
The NDLON post described the earlier immigration enforcement action, saying, “Today, at approximately 9 am, several vehicles pulled into both entrances of the Home Depot in the city of Pomona, located on 2707 S Towne Ave. There were 6 vehicles unmarked who pulled into the Home Depot from the Town Ave entrance and an additional two Customs and Border Patrol trucks pulled up on the second entrance located on Market and Garey. After detaining a group of day laborers, two additional Vans pulled up and they took 15–20 day laborers who were only looking for work. The workers informed the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center and was first on the scene to confirm this operation.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis shared a statement expressing her support for the suspected illegal aliens arrested in the immigration enforcement operation, saying, “This morning, my office was alerted by community members of a federal Homeland Security presence in the City of Pomona, where approximately 15–20 day laborers were reportedly detained. In response, I immediately directed the Los Angeles County Office of Immigrant Affairs to connect with the Pomona Day Labor Center to ensure those impacted receive the support and resources they need.”
Solis went on to say, “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.”
A spokesperson with the Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector spoke to Breitbart Texas about the circumstances of the operation that targeted one specific illegal alien who was the subject of a felony federal criminal warrant for re-entry after deportation under 8 USC 1326.
The spokesperson says the illegal alien that was the target of the operation was apprehended as planned and that the additional nine arrests were made after Border Patrol agents noticed several men running from them in the home improvement parking lot in Pomona on Tuesday morning.
The nine collateral arrests, according to the Border Patrol, included five citizens of Guatemala, one Mexican national, and two citizens of El Salvador. All were found to be in the United States illegally.
The spokesperson says a national of Guatemala was found to have been convicted of exhibiting a deadly weapon and for the offense of child abuse, causing great bodily injury.
The Pomona Police Department was quick to distance itself from the immigration enforcement action on Tuesday, saying in a Facebook post, “As a reminder, the Pomona Police Department does not conduct immigration enforcement, which is a function of federal law enforcement. Pomona PD was not involved in the detainment of individuals near Home Depot today and did not collaborate with any federal agencies on their operation. Our department had no prior knowledge of the ICE/Border Patrol operation that occurred today.”
El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents conducted a similar operation in January, shortly before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, Breitbart Texas reported. The operation was seen by many as a warning of things to come after the new president took office.
The agents initiated a targeted interior enforcement operation around the farming community of Bakersfield, California, that resulted in nearly 80 migrant arrests. The arrests included several sex offenders, some with existing criminal warrants, and others involved in drug trafficking.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX
