ICE agents raid San Bernardino County Home Depot
ICE raid in San Bernardino Home Depot parking lot
A day after an ICE raid at a Home Depot in Westlake, immigration officials carried out another apparent raid at a Home Depot in San Bernardino.
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Federal agents conducted a raid at a Home Depot in San Bernardino, following a similar operation the previous day in Westlake.
The raids occurred amidst a legal battle where the Trump administration is seeking to overturn a Ninth Circuit court ruling that requires federal agents to have a warrant before making arrests.
What we know:
On Thursday morning, six SUVs carrying armed federal agents pulled into the parking lot of the Home Depot on 21st Street in San Bernardino.
Day laborers who were gathered at the back of the store for work scattered as the agents arrived.
The operation was the second of its kind in as many days. On Wednesday, federal agents converged on a Home Depot in the Westlake district of downtown LA in a raid called Operation Trojan Horse.
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According to DHS officials, 16 people who were reportedly in the country illegally were taken into custody during that raid.
What they're saying:
An activist told FOX 11 he believed only one person was taken into custody during the San Bernardino raid.
Witnesses to the raid expressed fear, with one saying, "they're coming in and taking some guys and they're leaving."
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A video from the scene shows an agent questioning a man, with the exchange described as respectful. However, other videos from the scene show people who appeared to be terrified.
The backstory:
The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to halt the court order restricting immigration stops. The emergency petition comes after an appeals court refused to lift a temporary restraining order barring authorities from stopping or arresting people based solely on factors like what language they speak or where they work.
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The Justice Department argued that federal agents are allowed to consider those factors when ramping up enforcement of immigration laws in Los Angeles, an area it considers a "top enforcement priority."
The Los Angeles region has been a battleground for the Trump administration after its aggressive immigration strategy spurred protests and the deployment of the National Guards and Marines for several weeks.
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The Source: This report is based on information from various sources, including eyewitnesses to the raids, an activist on the scene, and direct statements from DHS officials. FOX 11 also obtained and reviewed video footage from the San Bernardino operation and a previous report on the Westlake raid to verify details.