Monrovia Memorial to Day Laborer Vandalized Ahead of Pilgrims' Visit
A memorial to day laborer Carlos Montoya was vandalized in Monrovia, California, just days before pilgrims' visit.
The memorial, located outside a Home Depot parking lot, features white plastic crosses with photos and names of the dead. The 78 people memorialized include victims of immigration enforcement raids and detention centers.
Volunteers from NDLON (National Day Laborer Organizing Network) and the Immigration Resource Center of San Gabriel Valley discovered the vandalism on September 28, after it had been damaged overnight.
The damage was described as 'vicious' by Marlom Portillo, popular education curriculum coordinator for NDLON. The memorial has been repeatedly vandalized since its construction in August 2025, but this latest incident was the worst.
'Hate, racism, and violence are unacceptable,' Portillo said. Volunteers immediately rebuilt the altar, hammering down new crosses to the ground and setting a vase of flowers in front.