A man who fled as an immigration raid unfolded at a Home Depot in Southern California was killed when he ran onto a freeway as federal agents moved in, local officials said.
The man ran from a Home Depot in Monrovia, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents began the operation Thursday morning, Monrovia City Manager Dylan Feik said.
The man ran onto the eastbound 210 Freeway and was hit by a vehicle, then was rushed to a hospital, where he died, Feik said in a statement.
The person who ran onto the freeway was “not being pursued by any DHS law enforcement,” the agency told the New York Times in a statement. “We do not know their legal status. We were not aware of this incident or notified by California Highway Patrol until hours after operations in the area had concluded.”
Home Depot locations increasingly have become targets for immigration raids as the Trump administration amps up deportation operations as part of a broader crackdown. The home improvement retailer traditionally has been a place documented and undocumented day laborers gather to pick up jobs as roofers, painters and construction workers.
At least 10 people were detained in Thursday’s ICE operation in Monrovia, said California Assemblymember John Harabedian, whose district includes the city. He called the incident “frightening and chaotic,” adding in a statement:
“Raids like this do not make our streets safer – they terrorize families, instill fear, and put lives at risk.”
CNN has reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.
Home Depot wasn’t “notified that ICE activities are going to happen and we aren’t involved in the operations,” the retailer told CNN on Thursday.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the man’s death, Feik said. He hasn’t been publicly identified.
The National Day Laborer Organizing Network is working to identify his family.
“We also want to support the workers who witnessed and experienced this horrible raid and tragic death,” said the group, which advocates for day laborers, migrants and low-wage workers.
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