Tag Archives: El Salvador

Style on Main: Home Depot Preps Staff as ICE Targets Over 30,500 Employees Nationwide

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Recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have targeted day laborers who congregate around Home Depot stores across the United States, disrupting a longstanding informal labor market. These raids are part of an intensified immigration enforcement campaign under the Trump administration, which aims to increase deportations beyond violent criminals to undocumented workers broadly.

Home Depot stores have become unique hubs where day laborers and contractors meet despite the company’s official policy against solicitation on its property. This informal system has provided mutual benefits for decades, but the recent ICE actions have created operational challenges and fear among workers and communities. Home Depot is now preparing its employees for potential encounters with ICE agents, emphasizing safety and reporting protocols as the raids unfolded nationwide.

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The ICE raids have instilled fear among immigrant workers, many of whom now avoid Home Depot parking lots. This has led to significant drops in day laborer presence and disruptions to local labor markets. Workers staying home out of fear affects business operations and local economies dependent on their labor.

Community backlash has included protests and public outcry following arrests near Home Depot locations, particularly in Latino communities. These enforcement actions have strained relations between immigrant communities, local businesses, and law enforcement, amplifying tensions and uncertainty.

Home Depot Preps Staff as ICE Targets Over 30,500 Employees Nationwide
TVM El Salvador – Facebook Recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have targeted day laborers who congregate around Home Depot stores across the United States, disrupting a longstanding informal labor market. These raids are
Home Depot Preps Staff as ICE Targets Over 30,500 Employees Nationwide

Newsweek: Republicans kidnap Latina girlfriend in new democratic ad

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A pro-Democrat PAC has released an ad showing a fictional Republican lawmaker and masked men kidnapping an American citizen while on a date with her boyfriend.

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The latest ad, released on Wednesday, features a white man and a Latina woman on a date. Masked men grab the screaming woman as a Republican congressman tells her boyfriend that “she’s coming with us.” He says that they’re taking her to a prison in El Salvador.

When the man protests that “she was born here, she’s a citizen,” the lawmaker replies, “I don’t care, she looks like one of them.” The ad closes with a quote from President Donald Trump, which reads: “The homegrowns are next.”

The quote was from a conversation Trump had with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele in April about the possibility of jailing U.S. citizens.

Republicans kidnap Latina girlfriend in new democratic ad
The ad, inspired by reports of ICE detentions, depicted a Republican congressman arresting an American citizen.

https://www.newsweek.com/democrat-ad-republican-kidnaps-girlfriend-ice-2087974

SFGate: From San Diego to the Bay Area, California restaurants are on edge over immigration raids

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Brandon Mejia usually spends his weekends conducting a symphony of vendors serving pupusas, huaraches and an array of tacos at his two weekly 909Tacolandia pop-up events.

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But in the past week, that’s all come to a screeching halt. As the Trump administration ramps up immigration raids in California, some restaurants, worried about their workers or finding that customers are staying home more, are closing temporarily. Many street vendors are going into hiding, and some food festivals and farmers markets have been canceled.

Mejia called off all Tacolandia events last week. His mind raced about whether agents would come for his vendors as videos surfaced on social media of taqueros, farm workers and fruit vendors vanishing in immigration raids around LA and neighboring Ventura County.

“A lot of these vendors, their goal is to have restaurants. They want to follow the rules,” said Mejia, who was born and raised in San Bernardino in a family from Mexico City. But after conferring with vendors, they decided the risk was too high: “Some people have told me that their relatives have got taken, so I don’t want to be responsible for that.”

After a week of mass protests and more raids at farms, grocery stores and at least one swap meet, Mejia and many others remain on edge. Mejia said some small food businesses are getting desperate, trying to decide whether to risk reopening or stay closed while their own families grow hungry.

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From San Diego to the Bay Area, California restaurants are on edge over immigration raids

https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/from-san-diego-to-the-bay-area-california-20385093.php

Guardian: ‘Abducted by Ice’: the haunting missing-person posters plastered across LA

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The handmade posters of immigrants have become a symbol of quiet resistance. Their creators reveal the story behind the project

“Missing son.” “Missing father.” “Missing grandmother.”

The words are written in bright red letters at the top of posters hanging on lampposts and storefronts around Los Angeles. At first glance, they appear to be from worried relatives seeking help from neighbors.

But a closer look reveals that the missing people are immigrants to the US who have been disappeared by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice). Some of the faces are familiar to anyone who has been following the news – that missing father, for instance, is Kilmar Ábrego García, the Maryland man who was deported to El Salvador in March without a hearing, in what the Trump administration admitted was an error. “Abducted by Ice,” the poster reads, under a picture of Ábrego García with his small son. “Did not receive constitutional protections. Currently being held in detention.”

The missing grandmother is Gladis Yolanda Chávez Pineda, a Chicago woman who was taken by Ice when she showed up for a check-in with immigration officials this month. She had arrived in the US seeking a better life for her daughter and was in the midst of applying for asylum. “Lived in the US for 10 years,” the poster states. “No criminal history.”

The missing son is Andry Hernández Romero, a makeup artist who fled persecution in Venezuela. On arrival in the US, he was detained, with US authorities claiming his tattoos indicated gang membership. His family and friends say that’s ridiculous. He was among hundreds of people deported to the El Salvador mega-prison known as Cecot in March. “Currently being held in a concentration camp,” the poster says.

The posters are just a few examples of a campaign of quiet resistance on the streets of Los Angeles. On Monday, a walk down Sunset Boulevard in the historic Silver Lake neighborhood meant encountering an array of flyers, artwork and spray-painted messages of support for disappeared immigrants and fury at the administration.

The “missing” posters, which have also appeared in other neighborhoods, were particularly effective. Duct-taped to telephone polls amid ads for comedy shows, guitar lessons and yard sales, they reminded passersby of the individual lives derailed by Trump’s immigration crackdown – instead of names in the news, these were families and friends who might have lived just down the road.

Humanizing people’s stories was precisely the goal, said the creators behind the posters.

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‘Abducted by Ice’: the haunting missing-person posters plastered across LA
The handmade posters of immigrants have become a symbol of quiet resistance. Their creators reveal the story behind the project

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/18/los-angeles-missing-posters-ice

Associated Press: ICE takes custody of Spanish-language journalist arrested at Georgia protest

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U.S. immigration authorities said Wednesday they have detained a Spanish-language journalist, who will face deportation proceedings following his arrest on charges of obstructing police and unlawful assembly while covering a weekend protest outside Atlanta.

Mario Guevara was turned over by police to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody three days after he was jailed in DeKalb County, agency spokesman Lindsay Williams said in an emailed statement. His case now goes to immigration court to determine whether Guevara, a native of El Salvador, can remain in the U.S.

His attorney, Giovanni Diaz, has said that Guevara was doing his job and committed no crime when police arrested him. He also says Guevara has legal authorization to live and work in the U.S., and has a pending application for permanent residency. Diaz did not immediately return phone and email messages Wednesday.

ICE takes custody of Spanish-language journalist arrested at Georgia protest
Immigration officers have taken custody of a Spanish-language journalist arrested on obstruction and unlawful assembly charges while covering a weekend protest outside Atlanta.

https://apnews.com/article/journalist-detained-immigration-ice-mario-guevarra-atlanta-77158055cda30f6be3707fb40bf661d6

Daily Beast: ICE Pushes to Deport Reporter Arrested at ‘No Kings’ Rally

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Attorneys for Mario Guevara, a reporter who live-streamed his own arrest Saturday, say he was detained simply for covering the protest.

An Emmy Award-winning reporter who recorded his own arrest while covering a “No Kings” protest in metro Atlanta now faces possible deportation.

Mario Guevara, a Spanish-language journalist known for his coverage of immigration raids, was live-streaming the anti-Trump rally Saturday when tensions between officers in riot gear and marchers escalated, Fox 5 reported.

Wearing a helmet and a press-labeled vest, Guevara was filming a group of officers in a parking lot when they began moving towards him. Despite identifying himself as a journalist, he was arrested.

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Guevara’s attorneys have condemned the arrest—arguing he was detained simply for documenting the protest, according to Fox 5.

On Monday, attorneys successfully petitioned for bond, only to learn that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had lodged a “detainer” against Guevara, blocking his release for 48 hours so ICE officers can take him into custody.

The detainer means the federal government believes Guevara, who is originally from El Salvador, can be deported. Attorney Giovanni Diaz said that while Guevara lacks permanent legal status, he has work authorization and is pursuing a green card through his U.S. citizen son.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/ice-pushes-to-deport-atlanta-based-reporter-mario-guevara-arrested-at-no-kings-rally

Sacramento Bee: Seven Men Deported in Violation of Court Order, Judge Says

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U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy has criticized the Trump administration for expediting the deportation of seven men to South Sudan, violating court orders and due process. The administration reportedly failed to provide sufficient notice before these actions, jeopardizing the deportees’ safety. Murphy has allowed the convicted individuals to remain in U.S. custody abroad on a military base in Djibouti, where they can raise concerns about potential violence in South Sudan.

Murphy wrote, “Defendants have mischaracterized this Court’s order, while at the same time manufacturing the very chaos they decry.” Murphy added, “By racing to get six class members onto a plane to unstable South Sudan, clearly in breach of the law and this Court’s order, Defendants gave this Court no choice but to find that they were in violation of the Preliminary Injunction.”

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Murphy wrote, “From this course of conduct, it is hard to come to any conclusion other than that defendants invite lack of clarity as a means of evasion.”

Seven Men Deported in Violation of Court Order, Judge Says
U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy has criticized the Trump administration for expediting the deportation of seven men to South Sudan, violating court orders and due process. The administration reportedly failed to provide sufficient notice before these actions, jeopardizing the deportees’ safety. Murphy has allowed the convicted individuals to remain in U.S. custody abroad on aContinue reading “Seven Men Deported in Violation of Court Order,…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/seven-men-deported-in-violation-of-court-order-judge-says/ar-AA1GJqtr

AFP: Balloons, bubbles, tear gas: LA anti-Trump protests turn chaotic

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For hours, thousands of people in Los Angeles peacefully celebrated their defiance of US President Donald Trump Saturday with music, marching, bubbles and balloons — then police unexpectedly moved in, and chaos and confusion broke out.

The demonstration — part of the nationwide “No Kings” day of protests across the country — was by far the largest in more than a week of protests ignited by anger against immigration raids the Trump administration has been carrying out across the country’s second-largest city. 

Like those before it, Saturday’s had been largely peaceful. A march that began in the morning had finished, with demonstrators milling about on a sunny afternoon as the scene took on the air of a street festival. 

But then:

Then police unexpectedly began moving people away from the area, igniting confusion and anger among demonstrators caught off guard and unsure of where to go.

Police on horseback pushed crowds back as law enforcement fired tear gas and flash-bang grenades hours ahead of an 8:00 pm (0300 GMT) curfew. 

A police spokeswoman later told local TV channel KTLA that a “small group of agitators” had begun throwing rocks, bottles and fireworks at officers, prompting the decision to order the crowd to disperse.

Balloons, bubbles, tear gas: LA anti-Trump protests turn chaotic

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/balloons-bubbles-tear-gas-la-anti-trump-protests-turn-chaotic/ar-AA1GJd8h

Wall Street Journal: Trump’s Deportation Raids in L.A. Hit Longtime Workforce

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He is one of the millions of immigrants who make up greater Los Angeles’s Hispanic community, one of the nation’s largest and oldest. Some crossed the border illegally, overstayed visas or were brought here illegally as children and are stuck in legal limbo. They assumed President Trump wouldn’t target them for deportation and that he would instead focus on criminals and more recent arrivals.

The raids that unfolded here this past week, triggering protests and Trump’s deployment of National Guard and active duty troops, shattered that belief and altered life for a community that underpins the economy of the nation’s second-largest metropolis.

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Experts estimate the number of immigrants who entered illegally or are living illegally in Los Angeles County at close to one million people, or roughly 10% of the population.

So if King Donald and his Nazi Stephen Miller have their way, one out of every ten L.A. residents will be disappeared.

Trump’s Deportation Raids in L.A. Hit Longtime Workforce
The region is home to one of the nation’s largest and oldest Hispanic communities, which underpins the economy.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trump-s-deportation-raids-in-l-a-hit-longtime-workforce/ar-AA1GIsGf

Guardian: Spanish-language journalist to be turned over to Ice after protest arrest

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El Salvador-born Mario Guevara, arrested by Georgia police on Saturday, transferred to Ice officers after bond release

Mario Guevara, a prominent Spanish-language journalist in metro Atlanta who frequently covers Immigration and customs enforcement raids, will be turned over to Ice detention after being arrested by local police while covering the “No Kings” protests.

Guevara, 47, was born in El Salvador and has been in the United States for more than 20 years. He recorded his own arrest Saturday during a raucous street protest in the Embry Hills area of north DeKalb county, an Atlanta suburban neighborhood with a large Latino population. The protest ended with riot police throwing teargas and marching protesters down the street after declaring an unlawful assembly.

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Police charged Guevara as a pedestrian improperly entering a roadway, obstruction of a law enforcement officer and unlawful assembly. A municipal judge released Guevara on Monday on a recognisance bond – customary with misdemeanor charges. But jail staff said he would be transferred instead to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

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Ted Terry, a DeKalb county commissioner, asked the county’s staff to investigate the circumstances around the use of teargas at the event.

“The decision to deploy teargas – particularly in a neighborhood context with nearby homes and businesses – raises serious questions about the proportionality and justification of the county’s response to peaceful civil action,” he wrote.

A spokesperson for Ice in Atlanta could not immediately confirm the conditions of the immigration hold or whether Guevara faces deportation.

As a journalist with Diario CoLatino in El Salvador, he fled the country in 2004 one step ahead of threats from leftwing paramilitary groups. It took him seven years to get his first asylum hearing before a judge, the journalist told Spanish-language wire service Agencia EFE in the Los Angeles-based publication La Opinión in 2012. He described the arrest of his wife after an error in the immigration system. “The hardest part for me was seeing my three children cry as she was taken away, and me being powerless to give them the comfort and protection they need,” he said in Spanish in the interview.

Spanish-language journalist to be turned over to Ice after protest arrest
El Salvador-born Mario Guevara, arrested by Georgia police on Saturday, transferred to Ice officers after bond release

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/16/journalist-ice-protest-arrest-mario-guevara