Home Depot said its stores remain open after some of its locations in Los Angeles were the target of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid.
Several people were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the parking lot of a Home Depot in the Westlake, a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles, on Friday, according to reports. It was one of many raids carried out by ICE across the city over the weekend, igniting a wave of violence and with demonstrators clashing with law enforcement while urging the administration to end deportations.
Sergio Olmos, a reporter with CalMatters, a nonprofit news organization covering California state politics and policies, posted on X that day laborers said a raid took place at a Home Depot in Huntington Park, a city located in the South Central region of Los Angeles County, early Monday morning.
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LA Mayor Karen Bass questioned how the raids were being carried out, specifically why a Home Depot was targeted.
“We had been told that he was gonna go after violent criminals. It wasn’t a drug den, it was a Home Depot,” Bass told CNN’s “The Situation Room” on Monday. “It was places where people are working. So what was the point of doing this?”
Home Depot deferred comment to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS did not immediately respond to FOX Business request for comment.
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President Trump has vowed to carry out the largest mass deportation effort, with a goal of a minimum of 3,000 arrests by ICE every day, according to Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy.
ICE declined to confirm or discuss the operation at Home Depot, according to NBC Los Angeles. However, the agency told the outlet that “all aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States, regardless of nationality.”
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said Sunday that the department does not coordinate with federal immigration officials but cannot prevent immigration enforcement operations, either.
“We don’t engage in that activity,” he added, referring to immigration enforcement operations. “But again, we can’t preclude them from doing that.”
McDonnell urged the people in the community “to trust the LAPD.”
“We’ll continue to support peaceful protests and enforce the law when criminal acts occur,” he said. “The LAPD remains focused on its core mission to protect lives, safeguard constitutional rights, and serve every neighborhood in Los Angeles with integrity.”
Fox News’ Landon Mion and Cameron Arcand contributed to this report.
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