Immigration raids conducted in Chino Hills, Pomona
Two immigration raids were carried out Thursday at a Chino Hills car wash and at a Pomona day laborer center.
Immigration agents arrived at Grand Car Wash in Chino Hills around 10 a.m. as workers were busy wiping down cars. Security video captured the raid.
"I look up and there's agents standing in front of me, staring at me," said Natalie, a cashier at the car wash. "I got nervous, and I looked around. One of the employees, he passed by running, so when the agents saw him run, he ran after him."
Employees say they were questioned about their legal status.
"They asked if I was a citizen. I said no. Then they asked if I had status. I said yes," car wash employee Ramiro Orellana said in Spanish. "I showed them my work permit and my REAL ID, but they didn't respect it, and they told me I was illegal."
Orellana was eventually returned to the car wash after agents verified his identity and status.
This afternoon, the car wash was closed. Long-time customers were surprised by the raid.
"This is sad. It really is. A lot of these people do work every day - seven days," customer Mike Gonzalez said. "I know because I talked to some of these guys. It's sad to see it happen."
A few miles away, the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, which advocates for day laborers, was also raided. They believe three men were detained and taken.
"We knew this was going to happen," said Claudia Bautista, the executive director of the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center. "We know that day laborers are target number one for this administration. We know that they have been going to Home Depots all the time. It was just a matter of when."
