4 Day Laborers Disappear In Unexplained Detentions In East Bay, ICE Suspected: Report

CONCORD, CA — Unmarked vehicles entered a Concord Home Depot parking lot Wednesday morning, and people wearing patches marked “ERO” took at least four day laborers, according to witnesses cited by the Concord Immigrant Protections Network.

ERO are the initials for an arm of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A witness who recorded in the incident told advocates that four day laborers were taken into unmarked SUVs.

Advocates said on Thursday they still did not know the workers’ names or whereabouts.

The account has raised questions about which agency was involved.

NBC Bay Area reported that its sister station, Telemundo 48, contacted ICE.

Both agencies said they had not made the arrests. KQED reported that ICE had not responded to requests for information.

Brian Ibarra, a coordinator with the Concord Immigrant Protections Network, told KQED that witnesses believed the people in the vehicles were federal agents.

He said people wearing patches marked “ERO” — the initials for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division — took as many as five people.

About three dozen advocates protested outside the store Thursday, according to reports.

They called on Home Depot to denounce immigration raids at its stores and urged Concord officials to do more to protect immigrants.

“We aren’t notified that immigration enforcement activities are going to happen, and we aren’t involved in the operations,” Home Depot said in a statement reported by NBC Bay Area.

“We aren't coordinating with ICE or Border Patrol. We cannot legally interfere with federal enforcement agencies.”