A suspected illegal alien was killed after darting onto a freeway to avoid contact with federal immigration officers conducting an enforcement operation at a Home Depot store in Monrovia on Thursday, according to city officials. The man was struck by a passing motorist and taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Monrovia City Manager Dylan Fiek says the man ran from the Home Depot parking lot onto the 210 Freeway and likely was fleeing to avoid detection by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the city located 20 miles north of Los Angeles.
According to the statement, the Monrovia Police Department was notified of a possible ICE operation at the home improvement store at 1625 Mountain Avenue on Thursday morning. The responding officer observed ICE agents approaching the store, who then began conducting enforcement activities.
The statement states that one person fled from the area on foot, crossing Evergreen Avenue and entering the eastbound 210 freeway. At 9:52 a.m., Monrovia Fire and Rescue responded to a call concerning a vehicle collision with a pedestrian. An ambulance transported one person to a hospital, where the city confirmed he later died from injuries sustained during the accident. The authorities did not release the identity of the man.
ABC7 reported that the man was struck by an SUV traveling about 50-60 mph, according to California Highway Patrol investigators.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, the Home Depot stores in California have become a popular spot for immigration enforcement actions in recent months as day laborers congregate nearby in hopes of finding unauthorized employment. In early August, 16 illegal aliens were surprised and arrested after a group of Border Patrol agents emerged from a Penske rental cargo truck in an early Wednesday morning raid dubbed “Operation Trojan Horse.” The early August raid took place at a Los Angeles Home Depot store near MacArthur Park.
In a social media post on X (formerly Twitter), Gregory K. Bovino, commander at large of California’s ongoing federal immigration mass deportation operation, says the day laborer spots are not just places where hard-working illegal aliens congregate. In the early August post, Bovino highlights the arrest of one day laborer with previous criminal convictions for grand theft, resisting arrest, possession of controlled substances, prior deportation, and multiple convictions for driving under the influence.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation held a demonstration at the Home Depot store in Monrovia on Thursday, where members of the socialist group chanted and held signs reading “ICE Out of Our Communities.” All indications from the Department of Homeland Security indicate the immigration enforcement actions taking place across the country are far from over.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
