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Border Patrol Executes ‘Operation Trojan Horse’ Raid at Westlake Home Depot

Los Angeles officials warn this tactic may violate a court order after federal agents detained 16 individuals

People wait June 11 outside of a Home Depot store on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles that was previously the site of the detention of day laborers by federal immigration agents. On Wednesday, agents detained 16 immigrants at a Home Depot in Los Angeles, sparking criticism that it violated a court order.
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Overview

  • Border Patrol set up the ambush by parking an unmarked Penske box truck near day laborers in a Westlake Home Depot lot; agents then emerged to arrest 16 people.
  • The operation occurred days after the Ninth Circuit affirmed a temporary restraining order barring appearance-based roving patrols in Southern California.
  • Authorities said those detained came from Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua and are being held in federal custody.
  • Penske Truck Rental said it had not authorized the operation, planning to reinforce its policies to bar any future misuse of its vehicles.
  • Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass joined immigrant rights groups in denouncing the raid, vowing legal action to uphold the injunction against indiscriminate immigration sweeps.