On the morning of August 14, 2025, a tragic incident unfolded in Monrovia, California, that has since sparked outrage and reignited debate over federal immigration enforcement tactics. According to multiple sources including CNN, Fox 11, and KTLA, a man identified as Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdés, aged 52 and originally from Guatemala, lost his life after fleeing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at a Home Depot store on Mountain Avenue, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
Witnesses and officials recount that the day began like any other for the day laborers who regularly gather outside the Home Depot, a well-known spot where both documented and undocumented workers seek jobs as roofers, painters, and construction workers. But the routine was shattered when ICE agents appeared on the scene, initiating an operation that would end in tragedy just minutes later.
Monrovia City Manager Dylan Feik confirmed in a statement that the ICE raid began Thursday morning. Within minutes, chaos erupted. According to the Los Angeles Times, a laborer who visits the store daily described hearing panicked shouts of, “La migra, corre!”—Spanish for “Immigration, run!” The laborer, who declined to give his name for safety reasons, began recording the scene on his phone. “It feels horrible – I couldn't do anything for them other than record what was happening,” he told the paper, expressing a deep sense of powerlessness as the events spiraled out of control.
As ICE agents moved in, Valdés reportedly jumped a concrete wall, fled on foot, crossed Evergreen Avenue, and ran onto the eastbound lanes of Interstate 210. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), he was heading north across the freeway when he stepped in front of an SUV traveling about 60 miles per hour in the far-left lane. The collision inflicted major injuries, and Valdés was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead later that day.
Motorist Vincent Enriquez recounted to Fox 11 that he saw the man mere moments after the collision. “He was still moving,” Enriquez said, though the injuries proved fatal. Disturbing footage from the scene that circulated online showed a man standing in the road, possibly hitchhiking, while another lay motionless on the ground.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that Valdés was “not being pursued by any DHS law enforcement” at the time he ran onto the freeway. “We do not know their legal status. We were not aware of this incident or notified by California Highway Patrol until hours after operations in the area had concluded,” DHS told CNN. Despite this, many immigrant advocates and community members insist that the mere presence of ICE agents incited panic and directly led to Valdés’s desperate flight.
Home Depot, for its part, emphasized that it was not informed about the ICE raid beforehand and played no role in the operation. “Home Depot wasn’t notified that ICE activities are going to happen and we aren’t involved in the operations,” a spokesperson told CNN.
The ICE operation itself resulted in the detention of at least 10 individuals, according to California Assemblymember John Harabedian, while other sources including the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and immigrant advocates put the number at 13. Several people were also reportedly injured during the raid. Pablo Alvarado from the National Day Laborer Union told KTLA, “They’re afraid of going to the clinics and hospitals, so we’re going to make sure there’s a doctor who comes to see them. The first thing is humanity of people.”
News of Valdés’s death spread quickly, prompting several dozen people to gather outside the Monrovia Home Depot that evening in protest of the federal immigration raids. Selene Lockerbie, who attended the demonstration, described her reaction: “I was heartbroken. I feel like Monrovia was violated … to know that a man lost his life today just trying to work. Just trying to take care of himself and his family.” Karen Suarez, another protester, shared a moment with Valdés’s daughter at the scene. “I just went up to her and said, ‘I’m really sorry about your dad.’ She was so shaken up,” Suarez told KTLA.
Immigrant rights groups were quick to assign blame. Ron Gochez, a member of Union del Barrio, stated, “We hold the Trump administration, the Department of Homeland Security and the Home Depot responsible for his death, and they must be held accountable.” He added, “This is a painful reminder for us that we must continue to boycott the Home Depot due to their complicity to the ICE raids at their stores. The Home Depot and the agents that chased the man have blood on their hands.”
The National Day Laborer Organizing Network, which advocates for day laborers, migrants, and low-wage workers, reported that it had connected with Valdés’s family to provide support. “We also want to support the workers who witnessed and experienced this horrible raid and tragic death,” the group said.
This incident marks the second ICE-related death in California in just a matter of weeks. In July, Jaime Alanís, a farmworker, was fatally injured in a fall during a chaotic ICE raid at a cannabis facility in Camarillo. According to Fox 11, Alanís fell 30 feet off a building, breaking his neck and skull. His brother-in-law, Juan Duran, spoke to the network through a translator: “The family is destroyed, it was something very hard that happened to the family and we just want answers, we’re just destroyed.” However, DHS officials later stated that Alanís was not among the migrants being pursued in that raid and that federal agents had called for a medical evacuation.
The broader context of these tragedies is a renewed and aggressive push by the Trump administration to enforce immigration laws in Southern California. Home Depot locations, in particular, have become frequent targets for such raids, given their role as informal gathering spots for day laborers. The administration is also challenging a court order that currently bars immigration authorities from stopping or arresting people in and near Los Angeles based solely on factors like the language they speak or their place of employment.
Despite frequent protests and vocal opposition from local, state, and federal lawmakers, the crackdown shows no sign of slowing. On the same day as the Monrovia raid, approximately 100 federal agents conducted a sweep in Los Angeles’s Little Tokyo neighborhood, underscoring the scale and persistence of the enforcement effort.
As the investigation into Valdés’s death continues—"the crash, including circumstances surrounding how and why the pedestrian was on the freeway, remains under investigation by the CHP’s Baldwin Park Area," according to the California Highway Patrol—the incident has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over immigration policy, public safety, and the human cost of enforcement operations. For many in Monrovia and beyond, the events of August 14th serve as a stark reminder of the risks and tragedies that can result when fear and desperation collide with the machinery of immigration enforcement.
