Overview
- On August 6, U.S. Border Patrol agents executed “Operation Trojan Horse,” detaining 16 people from Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua at a Westlake Home Depot using a rented Penske box truck.
- The raid flouted a mid-July federal temporary restraining order and Ninth Circuit decision that prohibit roving patrols and racial profiling in interior enforcement.
- Mayor Karen Bass and ACLU attorney Mohammad Tajsar have launched investigations to determine if the surprise tactics violated the court injunction and are weighing legal challenges.
- Penske Truck Rental denied authorizing its vehicles for the operation, reiterated its ban on transporting people in cargo areas and said it will reinforce its policy with DHS.
- Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli asserted that interior immigration enforcement will continue unabated despite judicial constraints and local opposition.