Federal agents detain day laborers outside Pomona Home Depot (2025)

Federal agents were seen on camera Tuesday detaining what witnesses said were more than a dozen day workers at a Home Depot parking lot in Pomona.

Video showed several immigration officers outside the parking lot of the store and nearby the location on South Towne Avenue in the community east of Los Angeles. In one cellphone video, several day workers were seen sitting on the sidewalk, surrounded by federal agents.

A senior Department of Homeland Security official provided a statement Wednesday indicating the operation initially targeted one person sought in connection with an arrest warrant. Details about the crime were not immediately available.

"Agents conducted an operation in Pomona targeting an illegal alien with an active arrest warrant," the senior DHS official said. "During the operation, nine additional illegal aliens were encountered and taken into custody. Several of those apprehended had prior charges, including child abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, immigration violations, and DUI."

A witness, who only gave his first name as Carlos, said he was in the area around 8 a.m. Tuesday when he saw federal law enforcement.

“It hurts to see them,” he said. “I turned around and went the other way and saw various other officers there, too.

In response to the videos, several community groups came together demanding answers as to why those individuals were arrested. Families and immigration advocates said they are trying to determine where the group was being held.

“We are here to say that it’s not going to happen in Pomona because we have community support and organizations,” Lizbeth Abeln, Deputy Director of Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, said. “We want immigration out of Pomona.”

A man who says his brother was one of the day laborers detained by federal agents outside a Home Depot in Pomona is speaking out. Darsha Philips reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Immigrant advocates say they saw a spike in calls from the community about federal agents in the same area before. At the rally, one immigration attorney said everyone, regardless of their immigration status, has rights.

“You have the right, everyone has the right – citizen or noncitizen – to remain silent,” said Jessica Bansal, an attorney with he National Day Laborer Organizing Network. “You don’t have to answer questions from immigration officers. Everyone has the right to speak to an attorney.”

Only a few day laborers were at the store Wednesday. Forty to 60 people can be found at the location on any given day.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it was not part of the operation.

Home Depot declined NBC4’s request for comment.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said her office is looking into the case.

"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 said. "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."