Car wash worker detained two months in ICE facility, fights deportation after release
Aug 9, 2026·Location: Santa Ana, CA

A Santa Ana car wash worker and 33-year U.S. resident who supported his three kids was arrested by ICE agents during a shift in August 2025 and held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center for two months. During detention, he slept on cold floors without blankets, toothbrushes, or basic medical care. His wife Alejandra reported agents treated him "worse than a common criminal, with chains binding his legs, arms and waist." He refused to sign deportation papers and is fighting to remain in the United States, a process that has drained his family emotionally and financially. He was one of seven workers detained that day but the only one released. At least 373 car wash workers have been detained across Southern California since raids began in summer 2025, with agents raiding at least 106 car washes region-wide. He said the experience left him traumatized, noting his life is no longer the same.
Timeline
Sources
- ‘It wasn’t right’: Car wash workers cope with lingering impacts of Southern California ICE raids
dailykos.com·Aug 9, 2026·archived copy
- 'It wasn't right': Car wash workers cope with lingering effects of southern California raids
timesofsandiego.com·Aug 9, 2026·archived copy
- Mario has lived in the U.S. for 33 years. He worked at a Santa Ana car wash to support his three kids. Last August, federal agents arrested him on shift and held him in ICE detention for two… | End Poverty in California (EPIC)
linkedin.com·Aug 10, 2026
- Car wash workers cope with lingering impacts of ICE raids - Los Angeles Wave Newspaper Group
wavepublication.com·Aug 10, 2026
- SoCal Car Wash ICE Raids: Workers’ Lingering Trauma, Family Separation
us.ok.com·Aug 6, 2026
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