2 employees detained during ICE raid at Glendale car wash, witnesses say; 1 released

GLENDALE, Calif. (KABC) -- A car wash in Glendale was the latest business in Los Angeles County to be raided by federal agents, according to several witnesses and an immigration attorney who were at the scene.

It happened Thursday morning at the Glendale Classic Car Wash on Colorado Street.

AIR7 was above the scene and captured at least one person, seen wearing a red shirt, in handcuffs being placed into a silver SUV.

Witnesses who spoke with Eyewitness News said the agents were in unmarked vehicles wearing masks and did not identify themselves, but a manager of the car wash said he believes he saw ICE printed on their clothing.

"The crowd gathered around and started yelling and cursing at them to leave and to show their faces, but they were fully masked," said a witness. "They were quick and they left. It's frightening, it's outrageous, and angering, and it's not the America that I grew up in. It's very upsetting and I'm still processing it right now."

Sarah Houston, an attorney at the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, received a report about the raid and responded to the scene. She spoke with several witnesses who told her the ICE agents had just left when she arrived.

"What we heard from people who were actually here is three or four SUVs came in unannounced," she said.

A manager said that he asked for a warrant but "one of the officers told him flat out 'We don't need a warrant,' and they immediately started questioning people," according to Houston.

She said at least two employees at the car wash were taken. One is still detained as of Thursday afternoon, but the other was released, according to Houston.

"What I find interesting is the one that was let go, they took his cell phone and never gave it back and didn't tell him why or how long they were keeping his cell phone," said Houston.

"It's clear now that ICE is targeting Glendale," she added.

The manager of the car wash also spoke with ABC7 and stressed that they did not collaborate with federal authorities.

Managers said officers approached that individual and asked where he was born and that they were told he is a legal permanent resident.

"The first thing I would say is you always ask for a warrant, and the most important thing is to document everything," said Houston. "You are allowed to record officers and ask for their badge numbers on your premise. You're allowed to ask them these things."

She added that they may not give any answers, but "have someone documenting and then immediately have another person go and call a rapid response line, call an attorney."

Flor Melendez is the executive director of the CLEAN Car Wash Worker Center.

She said, "What we are seeing is literally cars coming in unmarked and sometimes marked, but most of the time unmarked. Some men in uniform and some without uniform, but still masked and armed and literally grabbing workers and putting them in their vehicles without answering any questions. And this is why we are using the word kidnapping, right?"

Melendez added that the raids are not happening how they are structured to happen.

"Somebody's supposed to come with a judicial warrant to somebody's place or somebody's address, right? Whether it be the business or home. That's not what we're seeing, right? That's not what our community is experiencing," said Melendez.

Last week, the city of Glendale said they were terminating an agreement with ICE and Homeland Security to house federal immigration detainees at the Glendale Police Department facility.

Noting that local law enforcement had not engaged in federal immigration operations, officials said Glendale was consistently ranked as one of the safest cities in the nation and GPD was highly trusted by residents.

"At this time, it is in our best interest to not allow that trust to be undermined,'' a statement read.

"Despite the transparency and safeguards the city has upheld, the city recognizes that public perception of the ICE contract -- no matter how limited or carefully managed, no matter the good -- has become divisive,'' according to the statement. The City Manager's decision was not politically motivated, but to protect local safety, authorities added.

The statement also noted that ICE detainees faced greater difficulty in access to legal counsel and family visitation, which Glendale facilities offered.

Eyewitness News reached out to DHS, ICE and CBP, but have not heard back.

City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.