What businesses did the federal government target during the Los Angeles immigration cleaning? This is what we know

As the migration sweep in Southern California intensifies, some patterns appear to be emerging on federal goals.

While some scans seem to be centered around certain workplaces, they seem to be randomly selected.

Agents were found Monday in a court and library in Whittier, a home warehouse in Huntington Park and a home warehouse in Santa Ana, and a business in Spring Valley, officials and media reported.

In April, unmarked vehicles were the first to arrive outside Home Depot in Pomona’s southern suburbs at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, with dozens of workers gathering outside, according to witnesses and advocates.

A Department of Homeland Security official said 10 people were arrested in law enforcement operations. Immigration advocates have previously estimated that as many as 25 people have been arrested.

Home Depot Focus

Last Friday, a home-owned warehouse in the West Lake area of ​​Los Angeles was targeted.

Federal officials provided details on how they chose their goals and how long the operations will last.

“I tell you what we will enforce the law every day in Los Angeles,” Tom Homan, a U.S. border policy adviser, said Sunday. “Every day in Los Angeles, we enforce immigration laws. I don’t care if they like it.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that Stephen Miller, a White House official and administration’s leader in promoting criminal immigration, proposed positive tactics.

Miller reportedly did not make enough arrests to the officers in frustration, and reportedly told immigration officials in late May to focus not only on people with arrest records, but also to sweep them randomly.

“He directed their target warehouses where Northern laborers would usually gather, or 7-Eleven convenience stores. Miller bets he and a few agents could go out on the streets of Washington, D.C. and arrest 30 people immediately,” the journal said.

Related by local officials

The sweep caused local officials to rattle.

“We’ve seen videos of people on social media, people are very actively detained by people who seem to be both covered up and armed with ice media and other equipment,” said Orange County Supervisor Vincent Sarmiento.

The supervisor urged the public who may carry out protests to “be positive, peaceful, so that we do not change the narrative here, but instead allow the victim to be villains.”

Immigration law enforcement officers have also been seen detaining people in donut shops, warehouses, restaurants and gyms, according to Casey Conway of the Orange County Quick Response Network.

The Immigration Advocacy Group runs a hotline and received several calls about sweeps around 8 a.m. Conway said the team will send representatives to several locations to confirm federal activities.

People were also detained outside Home Depot in Huntington Park.

Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores said President Trump’s immigration enforcement “has nothing to do with public safety.”

“Federal agents entered the peaceful community and targeted the Latino community at will, leaving traces of destruction,” Flores said in a statement. “We will unite as a community to condemn the federal government for continuing the domestic terrorism campaign.”

Targeted raids

Not all raids are random.

In late May, ICE and homeland security investigators executed search warrants at Buona Forchetta and Enoteca Buona Forchetta in San Diego. It triggered conflicts with residents.

HSI spokesman Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe, a branch within the ICE, said the warrants were linked to so-called “violations of hiring and possession of illegal foreigners and false statements.”

She said four people living in the country illegally were detained. She cited the ongoing investigation and provided no additional details.

Search warrants filed by federal authorities and search warrants obtained by San Diego Media Media accused the restaurant of “intentionally hiring illegal immigrants and individuals who work in the United States without authorization.”

Officials received a prompt five years ago that restaurants hired 19 undocumented workers to use fake green cards, some without 12 hours of rest and were the subject of verbal abuse, the warrant said. There was a follow-up prompt earlier this year.

The investigation found multiple instances of workers using forged documents, including social security numbers, the authorities said.

Buona Forchetta said in a statement that it is working with attorneys to find and support its employees and their families. It also provides support to staff who have witnessed and experienced the events firsthand. It did not immediately respond to the allegations in the warrant.

On Friday, officials targeted the atmosphere of downtown Los Angeles, several details about the cause of the raid have been released and no court documents were filed.

“The atmosphere is in line with the law when hiring employees, it always only hires people who people think have legal right to work in the United States,” said Benjamin Gluck, an attorney representing the atmosphere. “We have contacted the government to try to learn more about the raid, but have not learned more about this raid. The atmosphere will continue to comply with the law and support its employees, many of whom have been with us for decades.”

The New York Times reported that the company has been the focus of early investigations.

Time worker Brittny Mejia and Anita Chabria contributed to the report.