L.A. TACO, the leftist outlet known for aggressive coverage of ICE raids in Southern California, has fired its high-profile journalist Memo Torres over allegations that Democratic state Sen. Sasha Renee Pérez was writing his articles during a secret affair.
Torres’ firing follows an internal investigation the publication said lasted nearly five months and found repeated violations of its policies and journalistic standards.
The 46-year-old landscaper-turned-ICE reporter became one of the outlet’s most visible faces in immigration reporting through his “Daily Memo” videos documenting enforcement actions across the region.
The outlet publicly stated that it fired him for “repeated violations of our policies and our basic journalistic standards,” while insisting the decision had nothing to do with scaling back ICE coverage.
The statement read, in part:
Firing him was the last thing we wanted. On his final day, Memo told us himself he was ready to go independent, and that it was a better fit for what he wanted to do. We thought we left on good terms, and offered to publicly support his next chapter and give him a generous severance. We offered our support because we never stopped believing in his mission.
Instead, he told his followers a different story: that he was blindsided, which immediately led to speculation that L.A. TACO pushed him out to pull back on ICE coverage.
The rumor that we’ve turned our back on ICE coverage is a lie. And a dangerous one.
Memo built his name as a truth-teller and a community leader. But right now, a false narrative is being spread, and it’s dividing the very community he claims to serve.
However, according to a report from LA Material, citing sources close to the outlet, management concerns went beyond routine process issues and included Torres bypassing editors, making factual errors, and maintaining a romantic relationship with an elected official while covering her work.
The official, Pérez, 34, is the youngest member of the California Senate and a former mayor of Alhambra who has been outspoken against ICE operations.
