Head of Metro Board asks for agency’s protocol if immigration officers board buses and trains

The head of the Los Angeles Metro Board is asking what the transportation agency’s protocol is if federal immigration officers board buses or trains.

L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Janice Hahn’s request comes after federal immigration officers were present at the El Monte train station on June 11, which Metro confirmed to LAist, and follows reports that people were detained Wednesday at a bus stop in Pasadena.

“I think we’ve all been extremely concerned about the federal ICE agents in and around the city of L.A. and the county of Los Angeles, and the fear and the anxiousness that that’s causing,” Hahn said on Wednesday at a Metro committee meeting with other board members, including the agency’s CEO Stephanie Wiggins.

In a statement Friday, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said she was “deeply alarmed” by reports of the agents at the station from about 5:25 p.m. to 5:35 p.m. She also said that, according to Metro security officers, the federal agents were questioning people about their immigration status.

“No one should have to live in fear or be subjected to harassment while using public transportation,” Solis said.

Metro officials are expected to follow up on Hahn’s request at the next board meeting on June 26.

Metro told LAist Friday that it hasn’t received reports of immigration enforcement agents boarding any of its buses or trains.

The transportation agency also said it cannot stop law enforcement at any level from “boarding or visiting” any of its “public facilities.” It added that it “does not own and cannot patrol” the nearly 12,000 bus stops it services across the county.

The reported incidents

When immigration officers were at the El Monte station on June 11, they were “apparently questioning riders,” Hahn said at the same meeting.

“According to security at the station, no patrons were detained,” Hahn added.

Several local officials and a day laborer nonprofit reported that on June 18 federal agents detained six people in Pasadena, including two at a bus stop along Metro’s 662 route.

Lisa Derderian, a public information officer for the city of Pasadena, said the city can’t yet confirm how many people were detained or if the sweep even occurred. Derderian also said the city is “evaluating” videos showing a man in dark clothing and a mask pointing a gun at people who were trying to film the vehicle.

What Metro has said about ICE so far

In response to an LAist inquiry earlier this month, Metro said it has directed its personnel to report any ICE activity to the agency’s security team.

In anticipation of immigration enforcement, Hahn in February requested the agency distribute “Know Your Rights” materials throughout the system. So far, Metro said it has posted the materials in more than 2,000 buses and 450 rail cars and distributed 5,000 brochures on the Metro J Line, which serves San Pedro, downtown L.A. and El Monte.

The L.A. Times reported Friday that ridership on Metro’s buses and trains has declined 10% to 15% since immigration enforcement in the region began.

In a statement on Metro’s Instagram account, the agency said it stands with all immigrants.

“Metro does not collect immigration status information,” the statement reads. “Metro has not been asked to coordinate with immigration enforcement. Metro cannot stop any local, state or federal law-enforcement agency from boarding or visiting any of our public facilities.”

On June 3, LAist’s partner newsroom Boyle Heights Beat reported that people mistakenly thought Transportation Security Administration officers at a Metro stop were federal immigration agents.

The TSA officers have worked with Metro since 2022 to “detect and deter potential threats like explosives or signs of potential terrorist attacks.”

“These teams do not engage in immigration enforcement and are performing their normal counter-terrorism duties,” Metro told LAist.