Dad taken by federal agents outside his Pomona business has been released from custody, family says
POMONA, Calif. (KABC) -- A father taken at gunpoint by federal agents outside of his business in Pomona has been released from custody, according to his family.
The Majin family held a press conference on Thursday afternoon, where 58-year-old Martin Majin-Leon spoke for the first time since being taken into federal custody.
Martin said he was detained for over 30 hours. He was released around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Despite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid that targeted more than a dozen day laborers outside a Home Depot in Pomona on Tuesday, Martin said he was taken into federal custody alone.
"The charge against me related to an immigration issue from more than 20 years ago," Martin said in a statement translated by his son, Miguel Majin. "I want to be clear. I am fully cooperating with the legal process and trust that the court will consider the facts and the life that I've built here in the United States."
The Majin family is now asking for privacy as they navigate the legal system. They said they may share more details after they receive guidance from legal counsel.
"This is not just about one person. This is about how we treat people who are a part of our neighborhoods -- barbers, small business owners, fathers, mothers, people who have worked hard and have paid their dues and become part of this American history," Martin said. "I will continue to follow the law, honor the process, and seek a resolution that allows me to stay with my family and serve the community that I love."
Eyewitness News spoke to Miguel and his family after surveillance video showed his father being taken into custody on Tuesday morning.
The Majin family said they grew desperate after their father failed to return to the barber shop he's owned for the past 20 years.
Surveillance video shows Martin pulling up to the business before he disappeared Tuesday morning.
Miguel works next door and grew worried when the shop -- usually open by 9 a.m. sharp -- remained closed.
When his father didn't answer his cellphone, Miguel's concern turned into panic.
"I start knocking on the door. I hear nothing. I call my mom," Miguel said. "You know what? I am going to knock the door down if you don't come open the door because my dad's not responding. I think he is probably on the ground."
But before he forced his way in, Miguel checked the surveillance footage, and what he saw changed everything.
"That is how we found out that he was taken at gunpoint," Miguel said.
His father wasn't missing, he had been detained by federal immigration agents. The family frantically called ICE, Border Patrol, and local police, trying to find out where he had been taken. They got no answers until a call from the Mexican Consulate finally came.
"We don't know if he is OK. We just know, we just found out about an hour ago, he is in Calexico," Miguel said the consulate told him.
Miguel says his dad came to the U.S. undocumented in 1987, seeking a better life for his family. He opened his barber shop two decades ago with his wife, Rosalba, and they raised their seven children in Pomona.
He was deported in 2009 after his green card was denied, but he returned three years later and has lived a quiet life ever since.
"We knew, we knew this was going to happen," Miguel said. "To criminals, to rapists, to people that really have a bad record, Donald Trump wants to deport those people. But why my dad? He is a working man."
The family believes federal officials were tipped off after Martin recently tried to renew his driver's license.
"But he changed his address, and they came here. So we are confident the DMV is working with Border Patrol," Miguel said.
Eyewitness News reached out to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which said it was preparing a statement.
