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.The most serious allegation is that Pérez was allowed to edit and contribute written material to stories published under Torres’ byline.Pérez issued a statement denying any role in the outlet’s editorial process.“I did not write any articles or control the editorial decisions of L.A. Taco,” she said. “Any person suggesting I wrote pieces for L.A. Taco is attempting to undermine my work and attack Memo’s integrity.”Pérez acknowledged a prior personal relationship with Torres and said L.A. TACO management asked the pair to limit their communication roughly six months earlier, a request she said they followed.Another source told LA Material that executives were aware of the relationship by February and later used it as a pretext amid internal disagreements over the direction of immigration coverage.Scoop from @antoniacere: Romantic relationship with California politician precipitated end of star journalist’s tenure at LA Tacohttps://t.co/jHHQPEHTU4— Matt Hamilton (@_hamilton_matt) October 24, 2026In comments to LA Material, Torres said, “I have no idea what they are talking about. I have never refused accountability about anything.”Torres covered Pérez’s legislative efforts, including promoting an oversight bill she introduced in early February, attending and covering a press conference she held shortly afterward, and highlighting the legislation again the following month.7 years come to an end. https://t.co/P82ZtZokBC— Memo Torres (@el_tragon_de_LA) October 22, 2026One of those stories was later updated with an editor’s note stating it had been amended to meet editorial standards.The pair also appeared together in May at the Latino Spirit Awards, where Pérez presented L.A. TACO with a journalism award and, according to reports, walked arm-in-arm with Torres onto the state Assembly floor.Pérez chairs the Senate Education Committee and has positioned herself as a defender of illegal aliens against federal enforcement.The post Leftist Anti-ICE Reporter Memo Torres FIRED After Allegations That He Let a Democrat State Senator Write His Articles During Secret Affair appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.