A Home Depot on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, shown in June, was the site of a raid Wednesday in which federal agents detained 16 immigrants, sparking criticism that it violated a court order.Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty ImagesA raid by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents of a Home Depot in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning sparked fears and outrage that the federal government could be violating a court order blocking widespread immigration sweeps in Southern California. A video posted by a Fox News reporter on X shows a Border Patrol agent holding two men by the collar and leading them to a rental truck in the parking lot of the store near MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. The agency said in a statement that 16 people from Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua were detained. Article continues below this adThe detainments come five days after an appeals court upheld a ruling that temporarily blocks the Trump administration from indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.The decision was in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Public Counsel and other groups, saying that immigrants were being targeted by race and were denied access to attorneys. San Francisco Chronicle LogoMake us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.Add Preferred SourceA federal judge ruled in their favor July 11, blocking federal authorities from making indiscriminate stops relying on people’s race or detaining them without warrants, until a hearing in September when the court will consider a preliminary injunction. The administration countered that the order was a “gross overstep of judicial authority,” and that only the president and Congress have authority to dictate immigration policy. Administration officials have denied detainees are being targeted due to their skin color.The agency declined to answer a question about whether its agents had a warrant to detain people during Wednesday’s raid. Warrants are typically granted after agencies get a judge’s approval. Article continues below this adLos Angeles has become a battleground for President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. The first Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids at Home Depots in Los Angeles occurred in June — one of which advocates said was at the same store that was targeted Wednesday — and resulted in widespread protests that lead to Trump’s deployment of nearly 5,000 National Guard soldiers to the city. Federal immigration agents have also targeted car washes and other areas where day laborers tend to gather. Trump’s policies have come under criticism from advocates who say they target people by race. Mohammad Tajsar, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California, said in a statement that he was deeply troubled by Wednesday’s incident at Home Depot and other reports of raids in the area. Tajsar said the temporary order prevents federal agents from stopping and detaining people based on how they look and how they speak.“As shown at every step in the case thus far, the government seems unwilling to fulfill the aims of its racist mass deportation agenda without breaking the law,” Tajsar said. “We encourage community members to reach out if they have any specific information about these incidents and we will continue to evaluate the evidence and alert the court at the appropriate juncture of any further unlawful actions.”Border Patrol Sector Chief Greg Bovino referred to Wednesday’s raid as “Operation Trojan Horse” and posted on X Wednesday that the agency is “on a mission here in Los Angeles. And we’re not leaving until we accomplish our goals.”Article continues below this adActing U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli also posted the Fox News video on X and said, “For those who thought immigration enforcement had stopped in Southern California, think again. The enforcement of federal law is not negotiable, and there are no sanctuaries from the reach of the federal government.” Their social media posts and previous videos have sparked concerns from other advocates on the ground. Jorge-Mario Cabrera, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Rapid Response Network, a community group that supports immigrants, told the Chronicle that federal agents targeted a Home Depot located next to a day laborer center. Cabrera said a man in plainclothes told the day laborers he was looking to hire them when Border Patrol agents jumped out of vehicles. “It’s very disturbing,” he said. “Having armed federal agents jumping out of a Penske truck is something that you don’t see every day, and it is right out of a horror movie.”Penske published a statement on Instagram that said it “strictly prohibits the transportation of people in the cargo area of its vehicles under any circumstances.” Article continues below this ad“The company was not made aware that its trucks would be used in today’s operation and did not authorize this,” the statement read, adding that company officials intend to speak with the Department of Homeland Security.Carl Shusterman, an immigration attorney based in Los Angeles, said it’s hard to tell from the videos whether authorities are violating the court order by targeting people based on their race. Shusterman said he hopes that the “executive branch will abide with what the judicial branch says.“If they’re not, do we still have a democracy left?” Shusterman said. Article continues below this ad