Immigration Officials Arrest More Than A Dozen People In Pomona

Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, April 23, 2025…

• A bill aimed at bringing healthcare services directly to farmworker communities will be considered at the state legislature Wednesday. SB 338 is modeled after a pilot program led by the nonprofit Ayudando Latinos A Soñar, or ALAS, in the Bay Area community of Half Moon Bay.
• Immigrant rights groups say more than a dozen people were arrested by immigration officials on Tuesday at a hardware store in Pomona.
• The Trump Administration eliminated deportation protections for asylum seekers who entered the country through the CBP one mobile app. KPBS spoke to an immigration lawyer representing multiple migrants impacted by the decision.
• Supporters of reparations for Black Californians are pursuing a new strategy to advance their priorities at the state capitol. These include two bills aimed at giving descendants of enslaved people preference for college admissions and home-loan programs.

California Legislature To Consider Farmworker Healthcare Bill

A bill aimed at bringing healthcare services directly to farmworker communities via a double-decker express bus will be considered at the state legislature Wednesday. SB 338 is modeled after a pilot program led by the nonprofit Ayudando Latinos A Soñar, or ALAS, in the Bay Area community of Half Moon Bay.

The program launched during the pandemic, when access to healthcare and information was vital but often out of reach. ALAS provides mental health and telehealth services right to farmworkers’ front doors.

“The research shows that mental health care is needed. It shows that more services for farmworkers are needed. And we’re seeing that this model works,” Executive Director of ALAS Belinda Arriaga said.

The Department of Health Care Services would oversee the program, which would launch in the two rural counties that have most need for health care access based on their populations.

Immigration Officials arrest group of people in Pomona 

Immigrant rights groups say more than a dozen day laborers (jornaleros in Spanish) were arrested by immigration officials on Tuesday morning at a Home Depot in Pomona.

Carlos, a day laborer who arrived on scene as the operation unfolded, fought back tears as he shared with the media what he witnessed. He only gave the media his first name out of concern for his safety.

“We’re human beings who are here looking for work to make ends meet for ourselves and our families,” said Carlos through an interpreter. “There’s people here that are trying to live an honorable life.”

Videos obtained by KVCR show border patrol vehicles and agents near the parking lot of the store. Immigration advocates with Pomona Economic Opportunity Center (PEOC), the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) initially shared that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was involved in the operation. They also alleged that management at the Home Depot were aware of the situation.

A spokesperson for ICE said in a statement that they’re not able to respond to rumors or specifics of routine daily operations. Meanwhile, the Pomona Police Department said it doesn’t conduct immigration enforcement.

Trump Administration Email Prompts Fear Of Self Deportation

President Donald Trump this month eliminated protections for asylum seekers who entered the country through a mobile app called CBP One established by the Biden administration.

Now, immigration lawyers are worried that people with asylum cases who have a legal right to stay in the country might self-deport because of an email sent by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) telling them, “It is time for you to leave the United States”. That email, titled Notice of Termination of Parole, was sent to thousands of people who entered the country in recent years through CBP One.

The app, which debuted in early 2023, was an effort by the Biden administration to streamline the asylum process for people fleeing dangerous situations in their home countries. Nearly 900,000 people entered the country through that program, according to data from the federal government.

Advocates for Black Californians Use New Strategies For Reparations

Supporters of reparations for Black Californians in the Legislature are pursuing bills that help advance their priorities. Los Angeles Assemblyman Isaac Bryan introduced a bill at the end of last year that would allow colleges to prioritize admitting the descendants of enslaved people.

“This bill is not about affirmative action,” Bryan said. “Definitively it is about reparative justice.”

A state assembly committee approved the bill, AB-7, as well as another on Tuesday that aimed to give Black Californians preference for a home-loan program.

The bills come after a 2023 Task Force Report detailed the decades of harms against Black Californians and ideas for recompense. Since then, State and federal affirmative action have made it difficult for lawmakers to enact many of the task force’s recommendations.