A trio of Californian legislators requests responses from the Ministry of Internal Security on a series of Immigration Act Act to Pomona.
“Actions of application which without discernment the communities of immigrants – in particular without transparency or local coordination – threaten not only individual rights, but also the economic stability and public security of entire cities like Pomona”, a letter signed by Senator Adam Schiff, Senator Alex Padilla and the Norma Torres representative.
The letter to the interior security secretary, Kristi Noem, comes nine days after the federal immigration agents arrested a group of day workers on April 22 in a parking lot from Home Depot to Pomona. Between 15 and 20 days, workers have been placed in police custody. The names of the people taken and their fate were not made public.
According to DHS, two people were targeted in the operation at Home Depot, one with an alleged active arrest warrant and another facing an accusation of alleged immigration. Other detainees during the Pomona operation, according to the DHS official, were suspected of being illegally in the country. Among those who were placed in police custody would have been those who had previously been accused of child abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, dui, counterfeiting and a possession of drugs. It is not known if these charges were for one person.
People who are expelled after being found guilty of certain crimes – including drug crimes, assault or a large category of crimes called “aggravated crimes” – which then returns to the United States without authorization are guilty of a crime, under federal law.
Home Depot and Pomona police said they had no knowledge of the raid before it happened and did not participate.
The Home Depot Raid is one of the three immigration application raids cited in the letter, with Pomona Barber Martin Majin-Leon owned under the threat of a weapon in front of her hair salon on April 22 and a raid in a Pomona body shop on Friday, April 25.
“Although nobody disagreements with the targeting of violent criminals for expulsion, Pomona’s application measures demonstrate that the target ministry without discrimination all non -citizens for withdrawal – including those who have not a criminal record and who have lived and contributed to our communities for decades”, readings of letters from the legislators. “These actions do not make us safer and are contrary to the ideals that we all defend.”
The legislators have written that they have urged DHS to concentrate the application against those who have legitimate risks to public security and to work with the Congress on the path of citizenship for immigrants.
According to the letter, the small company from Pomona is already injured by last week’s raids.
“Customers are afraid of shopping. Workers are afraid to come to work, ”reads the letter in part.
The letter ends with the legislators “respecting respectfully” answers to eight questions:
- “Why were Pomona’s local officials not informed of recent application actions?”
- “What federal laws on applying the law have been involved or aware of these implementing measures?”
- “Did the DHS respond to the request for responses from local police?”
- “What protocols exist to coordinate with local police and elected officials before carrying out large -scale application measures?”
- “How does the DHS plan to comply with the order of the court of April 29, 2025 of the Oriental District of California, with the exception of agents of the border patrol, to hold or stop individuals without reasonable suspicion of illegal presence, as required by the fourth amendment?”
- “Have California Department of Motor Vehicles been consulted in the case of Martin Majin-Leon?”
- “What guarantees exist to prevent improper use of state data for the purposes of applying immigration?”
- “What measures take the DHS to rebuild confidence with immigrant communities that have been traumatized by these events?”
“We urge your department to carefully examine these operations and re -engage an immigration application strategy which favors public security, confirms civil rights and reflects the economic and moral realities of our nation,” concludes the letter. “Thank you for your quick attention to this urgent question.”
There are around 10 to 16.8 million undocumented residents living in the United States
During his second term, President Donald Trump sparked an unprecedented campaign to apply immigration. The White House set the goal of deporting 1 million people per year. On April 1, more than 100,000 undocumented immigrants have been expelled since January 20, when Trump took office for the second time, according to his administration.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
