Schiff, Padilla, Torres demand answers after Pomona immigration raid
Schiff, Padilla, Torres demand answers after Pomona immigration raid
A trio of California legislators are demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security about a series of immigration enforcement raids in Pomona.
“Enforcement actions that indiscriminately disrupt immigrant communities – particularly without transparency or local coordination – threaten not only individual rights but also the economic stability and public safety of entire cities like Pomona,” a May 1 letter signed by Sen. Adam Schiff, Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Norma Torres, D-Pomona, reads in part.
The letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem comes nine days after federal immigration agents detained a group of day laborers on April 22 in a Home Depot parking lot in Pomona. Between 15 and 20 day laborers were reportedly taken into custody. The names of those taken and their whereabouts have not been made public.
According to DHS, two people were targeted in the operation at Home Depot, including one with an alleged active arrest warrant and another facing an alleged felony immigration charge. Others detained during the Pomona operation, according to the DHS official, were suspected of being in the country illegally. Among those taken into custody were allegedly those who had previously faced charges of child abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, DUI, forgery and drug possession. It’s unclear if those charges were for a single person.
People who are deported after being convicted of certain crimes — including drug crimes, assault or a broad category of crimes referred to as “aggravated felonies” — who then reenter the United States without authorization are guilty of a felony, under federal law.
Both Home Depot and the Pomona police said they had no knowledge of the raid before it happened and did not participate in it.
The Home Depot raid is one of three immigration enforcement raids cited in the letter, along with Pomona barber Martin Majin-Leon being detained at gunpoint in front of his barbershop on April 22, and a raid at a Pomona auto body shop on Friday, April 25.
“While no one disagrees with targeting violent criminals for deportation, the enforcement actions in Pomona demonstrate that the Department is indiscriminately targeting all noncitizens for removal — including those who have no criminal records and who have been living in and contributing to our communities for decades,” the legislators’ letter reads in part. “These actions do not make us safer and are contrary to the ideals that we all stand for.”
The lawmakers wrote they urged DHS to focus enforcement against those who pose legitimate risks to public safety and to work with Congress on a pathway to citizenship for immigrants.
According to the letter, Pomona’s small business are already being hurt by last week’s raids.
“Customers are afraid to shop. Workers are afraid to show up for work,” the letter reads in part.
The letter ends with the legislators “respectfully requesting” answers to eight questions:
“We urge your Department to review these operations carefully and to recommit to an immigration enforcement strategy that prioritizes public safety, upholds civil rights, and reflects the economic realities and moral values of our nation,” the letter concludes. “Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.”
There are an estimated 10 million to 16.8 million undocumented residents living in the U.S.
In his second term in office, President Donald Trump has unleashed an unprecedented immigration enforcement campaign. The White House has set a goal of deporting 1 million people a year. As of April 1, more than 100,000 undocumented immigrants have been deported since Jan. 20, when Trump took office for the second time, according to his administration.
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