The Brief
- Two longtime employees at Santa Palm Car Wash of the Stars were detained during a July 4 immigration raid, leaving the community and business shaken.
- The raid has sparked fear among workers and prompted a GoFundMe campaign to support one of the detained employee’s families.
- Customers and the manager express concern over the impact of immigration enforcement on their community, describing it as living in a police state.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. – At Santa Palm Car Wash of the Stars, two longtime employees are suddenly gone, detained by federal agents during a July 4 immigration raid.
“They’ve been with us over 35 years,” said Isaac Gonzalez, a manager at the popular West Hollywood business. He says the ongoing immigration enforcement actions are taking a toll on both the community and the business.
“It’s devastating. Most of the people that work here… they don’t want to come sometimes because they have the fear. You don’t know when [agents] are going to come, and they live in stress,” Gonzalez said.…