For Immediate Release // Please Excuse Cross Posting
Tuesday, August 26th, 2025
Contact: Palmira Figueroa, 425-301-2764; pfigueroa@ndlon.org
NDLON Demands California Governor and Attorney General Launch Independent Investigation into Carlos Montoya’s Death
LOS ANGELES, August 26 – The Department of Homeland Security’s summary of the fatal incident that occurred on August 14, 2025, in Monrovia, California, is not only inadequate—it is dehumanizing, dishonest, and disgraceful. In their official account, DHS refers to Carlos Montoya simply as an “unknown pedestrian,” erasing his identity, his humanity, and the direct role that immigration enforcement played in his tragic death.
Carlos Montoya was not an “unknown pedestrian.” He was a beloved father and grandfather, and a member of our community. He died while fleeing a reckless, unnecessary immigration raid conducted by Border Patrol agents who descended on a Home Depot parking lot—where day laborers, like Carlos, gather every morning in search of work, not trouble. These men are not threats; they are workers, fathers, neighbors.
Rather than acknowledge responsibility, or express remorse, or even share the very basic facts surrounding the killing, DHS issued a cold procedural memo—an attempt to distance itself from the horrifying reality that its agents chased a man to his death. Their narrative attempts to sanitize what happened and deflect accountability. This is bureaucratic negligence—and a moral failure.
“We refuse to allow the government to sweep this death under the rug. Carlos Montoya died as a direct result of an enforcement action that had no place in our communities. The entire premise of storming a day laborer site like this is rooted in criminalizing poverty and immigration status,” said Jose Madera, Director of the Pasadena Community Job Center. “We demand full transparency, accountability, and justice.”
Today, we call upon California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta with renewed urgency to launch an immediate, independent investigation into the events leading to Carlos Montoya’s death. The people of California have a right to know what happened on that day. We demand the state to release its own report—one that tells the truth, names the victim, holds federal agents accountable, and honors the dignity of all people, regardless of their perceived immigration status.
Carlos Montoya should be alive today. No one should die fleeing for their life from a government agency sworn to protect public safety. Carlos’ family deserves answers, and his community too.
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