Videos show U.S. border patrol agents conducting an immigration operation near a Home Depot in the Westlake District Wednesday morning, following a court order placing restrictions on raids.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli shared a video from Fox News that showed a border patrol agent detaining individuals during the operation.
Essayli commented on the video saying, “For those who thought immigration enforcement had stopped in Southern California, think again. The enforcement of federal law is not negotiable, and there are no sanctuaries from the reach of the federal government.”
Another video posted to the Citizen app appears to show several trucks pulling into the parking lot of the Home Depot and beginning to detain several individuals. Border patrol agents also appeared to be coming out of the back of a yellow Penske box truck.
U.S. Border Patrol agents were seen detaining several individuals near a Home Depot in the Westlake District.
LA Tenants Union
“Penske Truck Rental is aware of recent reports and videos regarding a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operation in Los Angeles,” the company said in a statement regarding the incident. “The company was not made aware that its trucks would be used in today’s operation and did not authorize this. Penske will reach out to DHS and reinforce its policy to avoid improper use of its vehicles in the future.”
The company added that it strictly prohibits the transportation of people in “the “cargo area of its vehicles under any circumstances.”
CBS Los Angeles has reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for a comment on the incident and is waiting for a response.
The office of Mayor Karen Bass also released a statement claiming that federal agents are now using rental trucks to conduct their raids.
“The City is gathering information about these reported raids and considering all legal options,” Bass’ office said. “Tactics like this are un-American and we will never accept these terrorizing ploys as a new normal.”
It is unclear how many people were detained during the operation.
U.S. Border Patrol agents appeared to be using a yellow Penske box truck during the immigration operation.
LA Tenants Union
This operation comes almost a week after an appeals court agreed with a lower court judge keeping restrictions on “roving” immigration raids in the Los Angeles area.
The panel of judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit largely denied the Trump administration’s request to suspend the lower court’s ruling, which requires immigration officials to have reasonable suspicion that someone is in the U.S. illegally before detaining them.
The initial court order from U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong prohibited federal agents from basing arrests on people’s occupation, race or ethnicity, the fact that they may have an accent or speak Spanish, or their presence in a location.
“The Federal court of appeals made clear that it is unconstitutional in this country to racially profile people and snatch them from worksites,” Bass’ office said.