Gathering pays tribute to individual who passed away during immigration crackdown at a Home Depot in Southern California
Headline: Community Outcry Over Immigration Raids at Home Depot Locations in California
In a series of recent immigration enforcement activities, federal agents have conducted multiple raids targeting day laborers outside Home Depot locations in Monrovia and Van Nuys, California. The operations, which took place on August 8, 2025, resulted in the detainment of about 10 people, primarily day laborers who gather at these locations for work.
The raids have sparked community outcry and protests, with pro-immigrant organizations demanding an end to such immigration raids and denouncing the fear and trauma caused by these sweeps. On August 18, 2025, a rally was held in the San Fernando Valley near Van Nuys City Hall, where demands included the release of detained workers, an end to family separations, protections for day laborers, and calls for local leaders to protect immigrants from such enforcement tactics.
One particularly tragic incident occurred in Monrovia, where a man named Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, a day laborer, died after fleeing federal agents and was struck by a car on the freeway. His death intensified calls for change, with advocates highlighting his desire for a better life and criticizing the enforcement tactics as harmful to immigrant communities.
Witnesses described seeing agents pulling up to Balboa Place in a line of cars during the raid in Van Nuys, where Yenni Perez Quinilla, a mother of three, was selling tamales when she was arrested by immigration agents. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed her arrest, describing her as an "illegal alien from Guatemala who was operating as an unlicensed vendor."
In Monrovia, relatives and friends of Montoya described him as a happy man who came to the United States seeking work to support his family. Speakers at a vigil held for Montoya included religious leaders, teachers, high school students, and politicians. Adelina de Perez, Montoya's wife, expressed anger and upset, stating that her husband is a single father and this is his only source of income.
The vigil for Montoya began with a silent walk to a memorial set up near the exit of the Home Depot, where he died. Similarly, a vigil was held for Yenni Perez Quinilla, with community organizers from Monrovia High School Students Against Fascism and the Los Angeles chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation leading the event.
Home Depot has stated it does not get notified in advance of these ICE actions and only learns about arrests afterward, emphasizing compliance with federal and local laws but not commenting on the use of its properties for immigration enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security stated that "the individual was not being pursued by any DHS law enforcement" and that the agency was not aware of Montoya's death on the freeway until hours after operations in the area had concluded.
The raids have been criticized for potentially violating a court order prohibiting racial profiling and indiscriminate arrests since the agents reportedly grabbed people before asking for ID. The community and immigrant rights groups have responded strongly to the raids, with calls for change and protections for day laborers continuing to echo throughout the city.
- The community outcry over immigration raids at Home Depot locations in California extends to the city of Los Angeles, where a vigil was held for Yenni Perez Quinilla, a mother of three arrested during a raid at a location in Van Nuys.
- The tragedy of Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, a day laborer who died after fleeing federal agents in Monrovia, has intensified calls for change in Hollywood, with advocates criticizing the harmful impact of immigration enforcement tactics on immigrant communities.
- Local businesses, such as Home Depot, have find themselves caught in the middle of the immigration debate as the company emphasizes compliance with federal and local laws while being criticized for allowing its properties to be used for immigration enforcement.
- The general news cycle in California, and indeed the nation, is dominated by discussions about immigration, politics, and crime and justice as the community continues to grapple with the aftermath of the immigration raids at Home Depot locations.
