Pomona Temp Check: A Community Briefing on ICE, Police, Local Power and Anti-Immigrant Actions
- Jesus Sanchez
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
By Jesus Sanchez (he/him)
Intro to Pomona Temp Check
Pomona Temp Check is a quarterly project that integrates an article and survey by scholar organizers from Pomona Rising, a social action group of Gente Organizada. The data and testimonials included in this article were part of a survey completed by 70 Pomona community members to give feedback on current state of events that are impacting the city and residents. Survey results are published for the community and shared with elected officials. This article was written by Jesus Sanchez, Pomona resident and Co-founder of Gente Organizada. He launched this project with the intention to initiate change, inform people, and amplify the sentiment of our community in a time where local government and politicians are providing us with public relation projects and narratives that are void of actions that invoke their full power to provide safety and create change. To learn more about us, please visit: genteorganizada.org.
Elected Officials and Police Welcome ICE to Pomona
“Very disappointed in the lack of support of the immigrant community by the elected officials. The police do not make us feel any safer and have been seen protecting ICE officials when they were staying at the local hotel.”
The statement above was made by a Pomona community member when asked if their opinion of the police or city elected officials has changed as a result of the recent attacks on the immigrant community. In their response they reference Pomona Police Department's (PPD) presence at the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel on June 18, 2025.
For community members that have been negatively impacted by local law enforcement and for activists it does not come as a surprise that PPD has in fact provided ICE agents with protection when confronted by residents. Nor is it a surprise that PPD has looked the other way as numerous laws are broken by masked and armed bounty hunters that drive recklessly through the city with no license plates and commit unlawful kidnappings. Failing to protect the community when unlawful abductions occur but showing up when the community is there to confront and stop ICE. For many Pomona residents that have a more neutral or positive perception of the local police department this has been an act of heartbreak and betrayal by police and elected officials on the city council that oversee the department.
But, what power does a city council actually have? They decide how $160 million of our city funds are allocated annually, what local laws we follow, and what law enforcement does or doesn't pay attention to. In that same survey, residents were asked if they think the Pomona Police Department should be enforcing laws to protect the immigrant community from bounty hunters and ICE attacks — 98% of them said that they believe more should be done to protect our immigrant community. Residents were also asked if they think city elected officials are doing enough to protect the immigrant community right now and similarly, 95% said that they do believe more should be done.
Meanwhile, the City Council of Huntington Park has been very vocal in their support of their immigrant community and has instructed law enforcement to intervene in unauthorized immigration enforcement. It is not clear if Huntington Park is a model but it is clear that Pomona could be doing more. The Pomona City Council has in fact fallen short and are complicit in looking the other way. To date, it's estimated by local organizers that there have been roughly 40 documented abductions of community members in our city and they believe that number is likely to be larger. Information about abductions is being tracked by community organizers, not the city government. Solo el pueblo salva al pueblo.
In the survey conducted, Pomona residents share the following testimonials, conveying:
“I chose to move to Pomona for its diversity, with its numerous immigrant-founded restaurants and vendors, cultural events, strong community orgs, and “progressive” leadership. It’s devastating to now see HARDWORKING, PEACEFUL, PEOPLE & ENTIRE FAMILIES, TERRORIZED by masked bounty hunters, without safety or actual support from our elected officials and police. I never thought this level of violence and ugliness could happen here.”
Another respondent mentioned the lack of protection from the city:
“Maybe I am naive, but I would have thought that the city of Pomona would be louder in protecting what is fundamentally and morally right and stand with the same people they serve and protect. Elected officials of Pomona - we are observing what you do and more importantly what you DON'T do for us. This is not a red or blue matter. This is a human rights matter.”
This respondent mentions elected officials might be prioritizing their self interest:
“As for elected officials I had perceived them of at least having a strong care for their undocumented community but it has become apparent to me that they are more concerned about themselves whether for re-election or in fear of the federal government and chose to take a more passive role in showing support for our community.”
In the testimonial above, the community member highlights the perception that our current Pomona City Council is pro-immigrant but their reaction or lack thereof to current attacks is not the only matter that is testing their commitment or highlighting hypocritical actions, because what happened to all of our street vendors?
Anti-Immigrant Actions: What happened to our street vendors?
Thus far in Pomona, ICE has targeted and abducted immigrant laborers including street vendors. But is ICE solely responsible for the decrease in street vending in Pomona? No.
On November 18, 2024 the Pomona City Council adopted Ordinances 4349 and 4350 that made street vending inaccessible, overregulated, and subject to criminal charges. They also allocated $113,000 in additional funding to local law enforcement to further criminalize street vendors in Pomona. City officials claim that enforcement is meant to target large companies that exploit and send out street vendors that are working on their behalf but that was not the case when local law enforcement shut down a mother selling flowers on dia de las madres. Nor has it matched the testimonials from street vendors at city council meetings in the last months and over the last couple of years.
This street vendor shares their perspective as an immigrant mother trying to survive:
“The situation is sad. That local laws exist to harm hard working immigrant people trying to provide for their families. If we are vending in the streets it is because we are low income people trying to survive. I have been negatively impacted by these laws and have witnessed the city shut down the businesses of my friends. These are unjust laws that are targeting hard working people.”
Street Vending Makes Our Communities Safer
Studies show that undocumented women have few employment options in the local economy and often work in the informal sector of the economy in industries such as street vending and paid domestic work. Street vending isn't just an economic patriarchy issue but a cultural one as well that has roots that go back to many of our homelands.
Street vending is culture and community building that makes our lives better and safer. Research shows that street vending often contributes to safer, more vibrant public spaces by bringing activity, visibility, and community presence to the streets. Vendors draw customers and pedestrians into public spaces, creating informal surveillance that discourages crime and enhances perceptions of safety. Vendors make cities livelier and safer by animating sidewalks, discouraging vacant or underused space, and promoting family-friendly activity. Residents were asked if they think the decision to increase enforcement against street vendors by city elected officials was too harsh and has negatively impacted the immigrant community, and 98% of them thought the city leaders had gone too far.
But what does the opinion of residents matter when the City Manager, City Attorney, Mayor and City Council have aligned to take an anti-street vendor stance? What if we were to ask for other legal opinions? What if there was a state law that decriminalized street vending?
Our Ask: Decriminalizing Street Vending in Pomona
Gente Organizada sought a second legal opinion, and thanks to Public Counsel, we can confirm that there is a state law that has decriminalized street vending, its name is SB-946.
So what did these expert attorneys say?
“In particular, the City’s vending requirements related to liability insurance, operations, distancing, and size of vending operations (collectively, the “Unlawful Restrictions”) violate SB 946 and appear to have been drafted and implemented without consideration of vendors’ lived experience, input, and feedback.”
Public Counsel recently submitted a legal demand letter to the City of Pomona asking them to stop breaking state laws and to comply. Wait, you thought the federal government were the only ones trying to erase our culture and attack immigrant workers?
Join Pomona street vendors, youth and parents organizers and give your testimony at the November 17, 2025 City Council meeting. Please show up for your community! And see for yourself how the Mayor and City Council will respond to being held accountable by working class immigrants. To help us with this campaign and pledge your support, email me at jsanchez@genteorganizada.org.
Gratitude and blessings to all of our street vendors and to the community members that contributed to this project, thank you!
Jesus Sanches is a Pomona resident and scholar organizer with Pomona Rising, a social action group of Gente Organizada