Pro-immigrant groups ask the community to call immigration and political leaders to release day laborers

An active campaign is going on asking for the immediate release for Jesus Domingo Ros, one of many day laborers that were taken by Border Patrol agents on April 22 outside of a Home Depot in Pomona. 

The exact number of undocumented immigrants detained is still unknown. While organizations say it is between 15 to 20 people, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said they were 10.

Domingo Ros, an immigrant from Guatemala, was described as a beloved member of the Pomona community and has no criminal record. He is being held at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility facing deportation. 

Organizers said he is a hard working person and member of the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center (PEOC).

Community activists and day laborers are outraged after seeing these actions happening more often. They said jornaleros are being criminalized just for trying to work.

Worker Rights Director with PEOC, Alexis Teodoro, said the detention happened at about 9 a.m. on Tuesday when several marked and unmarked vehicles pulled into the parking lot of the Home Depot at 2707 S. Towne Ave. in Pomona. 

“Not too long ago we responded to a false alarm in the same corner. Now we know they were preparing for this moment,” said Teodoro on Tuesday during a press conference.

Immigration agents were looking for specific persons

A spokesperson with DHS who didn’t provide their name said they conducted a coordinated operation in Los Angeles County “targeting two criminal illegal aliens — one with an active arrest warrant and another with a felony immigration charge.” 

They said during the operation, the federal agents apprehended additional immigrants. 

 “Among those taken into custody, multiple individuals had prior charges, including child abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, DUI, forgery, drug possession and immigration violations,” said the senior DHS official. 

Teodoro said on Tuesday when PEOC learned about the raid they contacted the Pomona Home Depot management and asked if they were involved with this operation. Home Depot representatives told them they couldn’t confirm or deny the statement. 

CALÓ News contacted Home Depot headquarters and Beth Marlowe, spokesperson with Home Depot said this is not true. “We were not involved in this operation, and we were not notified it was going to happen,” said Marlowe.

Take action

Representative for the 35th Congressional District, Norma Torres, said the actions of the federal Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents is cruel, unnecessary and unacceptable. She said her office has been in touch with several of the family members of these day laborers, adding that people who need assistance finding their family members should reach out to her office. 

“Every person deserves due process and our community must stand together to demand just that,” she said on a video posted on her instagram account. “Next week I will be introducing the Fairness to Freedom Act, which will ensure immigrants facing deportation have access to federal legal representation. I will keep pushing for fairness, justice and accountability.”  

Activists encourage the community to call Senator Alex Padilla to request help finding and releasing the day laborers that were taken from the Pomona Home Depot. They are also asking the community to call the Imperial Detention Facility to ask for the immediate release of Domingo Ros.