Copyright Boston.com
Nine employees at a car wash in Allston, all of whom had work permits, were detained in a raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Tuesday morning, the business’s manager said. At about 10:30 a.m., around 22 federal agents arrived at the Allston Car Wash on Cambridge Street with subpoenas in hand, according to manager Jose Barrera. “It was very intimidating the way they showed up,” Barrera told Boston.com. The masked agents asked the employees to show their documents, but began detaining them before giving them an opportunity to retrieve the documents from their work lockers, which Barrera attributed to the language barrier between them. “They were not able to clearly speak to the officers and get a chance to present their documents,” Barrera said. Of the nearly two dozen agents present, only two of them identified themselves as such, according to Barrera. When asked, they refused to provide further information about why the employees were being detained or where they were being taken. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday evening. Boston City Councilor Liz Breadon, who represents Allston, condemned the raid in a statement Tuesday evening. “This is kidnapping — plain and simple,” Breadon said in the statement. “It is a horrifying chapter in the illegal and vindictive targeting of Boston by ICE and the Trump Administration.” Breadon encouraged anyone impacted by ICE to contact the Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network or the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project, which are both Boston-based, for assistance. She also urged constituents to call or text the LUCE Defense Hotline “to report suspected ICE activity or obtain information on verified ICE sightings.” “My office is working with Senator Warren’s office, Senator Markey’s office, Representative Pressley’s office, and local immigrants’ rights organizations to connect impacted family members with needed resources,” Breadon wrote in the statement.
