A man who was trying to escape immigration officials outside a Home Depot in Southern California tragically lost his life when he was hit by an SUV on a nearby freeway, according to reports.
Police in Monrovia, located around 20 miles northeast of Los Angeles, were alerted on Thursday about the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. City Manager Dylan Feik detailed that an officer witnessed ICE agents conducting operations at the store in a statement.
The fleeing individual ran toward the freeway, where he was struck by a vehicle. Despite being rushed to a hospital, he ultimately succumbed to his injuries, the statement mentioned.
“We extend our condolences for the individual and his family,” Feik said.
This incident highlights the increase in immigration operations at locations like Home Depot and car washes under President Donald Trump’s administration, intensifying fear within immigrant communities. Notably, this marks the second reported death in Southern California linked to attempts to evade federal immigration authorities.
The following day, a convoy of unmarked SUVs carrying Border Patrol agents arrived at a food stand outside another Home Depot in Los Angeles. They quickly exited the vehicles, some wearing masks and camouflage and carrying M-4 rifles.
The operation centered on a Guatemalan woman under surveillance due to her alleged criminal history. A plainclothes agent approached her at the food stand to confirm her identity, triggering the enforcement action, to which onlookers responded with whistles and shouted objections.
The team repeated the drill at a car wash in the nearby community of Montebello but with less resistance. Two workers were arrested there.
On Thursday in Monrovia, the California Highway Patrol said the man was running across the lanes of eastbound Interstate 210 when he was struck by an SUV traveling about 50 or 60 miles (80 or 97 kilometers) per hour.
The man’s name was not immediately released pending the notification of family. The CHP said the crash, and the circumstances surrounding why the man was on the freeway, are under investigation.
A vigil was planned for Friday by immigrant advocates, who denounced the widespread raids.
Feik said he did not have information about the immigration operation or whether anyone was arrested.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wrote in an email that the agency was not notified of the incident until hours after operations in the area had concluded. “This individual was not being pursued by any DHS law enforcement,” said the spokesperson, who was not named.
The spokesperson did not respond to questions about the operation.
The Trump administration has made arrests at Home Depot stores, car washes, garment factories and other locations, with many people held in immigration detention. Last month, a farmworker fell from a greenhouse roof during an immigration raid at a cannabis facility northwest of Los Angeles and died from his injuries.
Last month, a federal court in Southern California temporarily blocked the Trump administration from carrying out indiscriminate sweeps. A hearing on the issue is set for September.
George Lane, a Home Depot spokesperson, said in an email that the company isn’t notified when immigration operations will take place and is not involved in them. Lane deferred questions to ICE.
___
Taxin contributed to this report from Santa Ana, California.
