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Three Guatemalan car wash workers were arrested Tuesday afternoon in New Bedford’s North End after a group of immigration agents stormed the business as shocked customers and coworkers looked on, according to Corinn Williams, executive director of the Community Economic Development Center.
Williams identified the detainees as Santos López Coxaj, Ezequiel Cos Pacheco, and Alberto Ciprian Sam. Witnesses said three other workers managed to flee the 30-minute operation, which took place at Minit Man Car Wash at 2351 Purchase St. Another worker who was Cape Verdean was asked for his name but was not arrested, according to Williams.
The agents, dressed in civilian clothing and driving unmarked vehicles, did not identify themselves during the raid, according to Adrian Ventura, director of Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores, which advocates for immigrant workers. An owner of the car wash said she recognized one of the agents as a former customer.
At least one of the escaped immigrants managed to alert a CEDC staff member. Williams, along with colleagues, rushed to the car wash to gather more details about what had happened.
The arrested workers were being processed at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Burlington before being detained in the Plymouth County Correctional Facility, Williams said. All workers are undocumented and none of the three have criminal records, she said.
The ACLU of Massachusetts reached out to representatives of the PAIR Project (Political Asylum/Immigration Representation) to assist the detainees while they wait in the Plymouth facility, which is contracted to detain people for ICE.
Minit Man Car Wash staff declined to comment about the raid. Holly Huntoon, public information officer for the New Bedford Police Department, said the department was not informed nor aware of the incident. Efforts to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, were not successful.
This is the second immigration raid on a business in New Bedford in a month.
Luis Castro Castro, 44, a Guatemalan immigrant, was arrested Feb. 10 in an operation involving about 10 immigration agents. The detention took place at a store located at 1273 Acushnet Ave., whose former owner was convicted a year ago for selling fake government identification documents.
According to witnesses, a group of agents entered the store shortly before noon and, after checking the documents of the new owner and other individuals present — all of Guatemalan origin — took Castro Castro, as he was unable to prove he resides in the country with valid documents.
According to video footage of the operation obtained by The New Bedford Light, the agents spoke Spanish, did not wear uniforms or vests identifying them as immigration officials, and were led by a woman. “Sorry, have a nice day,” some of them said as they left with the detainee.
Email Gerardo Beltrán Salinas at gerardo@newbedfordlight.org
None of the three had a criminal record. And they were supporting themselves with jobs. This isn’t what we were told was going to happen ON DAY ONE! So in a city of 100k, ICE has made a big deal out of removing 4 non-criminals from their jobs. Boy, I feel safer already 🙄
Don’t forget releasing the J6ers to the streets, drug lords pardoned and sex traffickers! We are much safer here. Ffs
Per usual more lies re: arresting immigrants with no court records. No surprises.
I feel so much safer walking the streets of New Bedford now that these violent car wash workers have been detained!! You know, the “worst of the worst”! I would suggest the next target for “criminals and rapists” might be day care workers. Watch out New Bedford day care centers.
It was stated by Tom Homan more than once that the ‘worst of the worst’, and the ‘criminals and rapists’, were top priority. It was also stated that anyone here illegally could and would be deported. This was the directive from President Trump.
Not that it matters if you are here illegally, but the article fails to mention if those arrested had existing warrants of removal?
Secondly, it is likely the second group of agents were from Homeland Security Investigations, the criminal division of ICE. But based on the lack of further information it is too difficult to tell.
So here we are, defending people who break the law, illegally entering this country. So if someone illegally entered your private residence, (home) and decided to stay, and have you pay for their food, clothing, medical care, and education. Would you support that! Wouldn’t that be against the law. Because that is what happened with your tax dollars nationwide under the previous administration. The US will end up financially bankrupt. This country cannot continue to provide financial support for unlimited numbers of illegal migrants entering the country, while or veterans, elderly, and homeless citizens are not allowed the same benefits. Massachusetts alone has spent over a billion of our tax dollars the past fiscal year in support for these people. It’s time to end this madness. People who want to immigrate to this country need to do it legally, there is way to do that under our current federal immigration system.
Agree with you 100 %
I totally agree with one “big” exception. It was promised they would remove the criminals first, the worst of the worst. If those arrested were here illegally then yes, in time they should be removed but the one who made the orders is a worse offender and has given freedom to the January 6th offenders. They know we have illegals here, not by my choice, because “they”, purposely sent them here. Honestly yes, if they don’t get themselves properly here they need to be removed, I’m sure there are many illegals with records that should be removed first. P.S. if they are working and are not getting assistance as I need assistance and are not eligible. I’m a 63 year old American born citizen that worked 40+ years and are disabled. If anyone really thought things were going to go as promised in the campaigning, you are all DELUSIONAL!
Now, I’m waiting for all the people who are good these immigration raids to rush out and snap up all the jobs that are opening up. You know you want those minimum wage positions with no benefits. What are you waiting for? Let’s make those cars spiffy clean! 😉
Well minimum wage today, is a good wage. We survived and purchased a home 2 adults. 1984, We do not so spend frivolously. We never filed for bankruptcy and earned every penny. We have every penny ever given to us. They could have been working under the table. Then again, a local company begins with A and ends with o (plumbing and heating) paid my brother in law, by blood only, removed, as an adult, under the table. Big money. The feds caught on to it and there was no big penalty.
Our work contract had to be revised because our start pay was less than the current minimum wage. Minimum wage workers are better off than when we were younger working in factories. You couldn’t get away with sitting around, being on a phone, walking around with a coffee in their hands. Don’t mock minimum wage jobs at today’s wage.
That same guy and wife worked for his sister and got ripped off. By one of his own sisters so, he got paid under the table and got paid back by karma. If those illegals weren’t getting benefits and working to support their families, then they are both wrong. But what makes it wrong for the illegals. If they are not criminals, leave them be.
Think about. You live in country that lacks security, is governed by a dictatorship, the economy is a wreck, agriculture is nearly dead due to climate change, gangs are running rampant, your women are being raped and the posibility of you or a family member being killed is a reality. So you decide, I’ll take my chances and cross the border into the US without proper documentation. I’ll do menial work such as at a car wash so that I can support my family. But rather than being proclaimed a brave person who escape danger and protected his family, I am considered a criminal for wanting to escape abject poverty and danger. Am I the bad guy?
Trump is trying to close the New Bedford Community Health Center and slash Medicaid and…
LOOK! OVER THERE! THREE GUATEMALAN GUYS WASHING CARS!
That’s right, President Trump, and the U. S. House of Representatives Republican majority, and the U.S. Republican Senators who also have the majority, all elected by the American registered voters, who are also the tax payers who fund every dollar of salaries, benefits, and operating expenses of all United States government agencies, was voted for, and passed by the US Senate, and US House of Representatives, then signed by the President to pass the continuing resolution into law, and part of that law with tax cuts, and spending cuts now requires any, and all able bodied people aged 18 to 55 years without children under age 18 years old who receive ALL Medicaid medical expenses at no cost to them, but 100% paid for by federal & state tax payers, will now be required to get a job working at least 20 hours per week, or will be required to perform 20 hours of community service with no pay, every week, or they will no longer be eligible for Medicaid medical services. All illegal immigrants, and their children will also no longer be eligible for any government services that the tax payers of America are forced to pay for.
It’s time for ALL illegal immigrants, and the growing welfare class of America to work, pay taxes, and pay for their healthcare, dental, vision, prescriptions, food, housing, clothing, utilities, and all other expenses. The American federal and state tax payers should never be required to pay for anyone else’s expenses beyond their own families. If you can’t afford to support your own living expenses, and needs, then you shouldn’t be having children, and expecting the other people to work and support themselves, AND pay for others who choose not to work and pay for themselves, and their dependents.
Amen, to that!
So again the Light will not post my comment, guess it is not agreeable with their narrative. Nothing in my comment contained hostile or hateful content. Just the truth of what is happening with illegal immigrants entering our country. Illegal is the correct definition, don’t you get it.
My comments don’t get posted telling the truth about the school department. Hey there’s always Facebook, that will reach more people too. Go for it. I am.
Your analogy of migrants invading someone’s home is contrary to reality. Most migrants are not receiving government benefits, or if so, only temporaily. To compare invading one’s home with a migrant escaping abject poverty and physical danger is bogus. These migrant don’t want government support. They want jobs, safety and the possibility of providing their families with a good life. In fact most migrants would much rather remain in their homeland where they share a common culture, a language and have friends and relatives that they care about, but the conditions they are escaping are horrendous and they fear for the safety of their loved one and themselves. Most of these migrants are not evil people committing crimes, but simply seeking a better life.
You obviously don’t know much about illegal immigrants in America, you say they’re not receiving government benefits? Over $1 Billion MA tax payer dollars were spent in 2024 in Massachusetts alone, thanks to the liberal former Governor Mike Dukakis, and the 70% Democrat State Senators and State Representatives passing the “Right to Shelter” law in Massachusetts. The “Migrants” as you call them became Illegal Immigrants the moment they crossed the border entering America, and they come to the liberal Democrat run states like MA, NY, IL, CA, because these states provide free housing, food, clothing, transportation, and education for their children, except none of those are free, they’re funded by the tax payers in Massachusetts, and even while the state currently has a surplus of over $8 Billion dollars, when Maura Healy, and the rest of the Democrats saw the total of over $1 Billion spent on illegal immigrants, they didn’t throw away the welcome mat, they cut spending on services for senior citizens, and children in Massachusetts who are American citizens, if you don’t think something is wrong with that, then you’re obviously unemployed, and don’t pay the federal, state, Social Security, Medicare, and the MA tax we’re also forced to pay so people who don’t have paid sick time from their employer, the MA working tax payers pick up the tab and pay them.
Google the news about how NY welcomed all illegal immigrants, then $80 Million federal tax payer dollars for FEMA “Federal Emergency Management Aid” budgeted for American disaster victims, were reallocated by Alejandro Mayorkas, and the Biden administration to pay NY who voluntarily welcomed every illegal immigrant and provided the same services MA does, AND a debit card with cash, and free cell phones, and now NY expects ALL American federal tax payers to refund that $80 Million dollars that New York state residents don’t want to pay themselves.
Well said. I believe it was Dukakis when Reagan put in the WEP in, just removed by Biden and the previous republican and democrats house and senate. Thanks to the previous republican, house and senate unifying and being a major reason why it passed to be eliminated a shout out to all. I may be a democrat but, Charlie Baker was the best Governor of Massachusetts, but even he couldn’t stop the immigrants being dropped off in our state.
Come here legally or don’t come at all. If you have warrants or other issues that ICE is tracking you down, you deserve everything coming your way. The businesses that hire illegals are just as much a part of the problem and should be prosecuted. Lastly liberal politicians that support illegal immigration and waste taxpayer’s money need be voted out of office.
the bottom line is they broke the law and this is sending a message. you may not agree but……..the law is the law
People that seek refuge in this country from murderers, rapists or violence, whether it be from gangs, drug cartels or corrupt governments, are not illegal imigrants they are seeking asylum. Big difference! And legal!
Absolutely and if they apply legally, they are welcome. Legally!!!
This is so scary. These men were not criminal. They were just trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. We are all here because of our forefathers looking for a better life. The path to legitimate citizenship is beyond expensive and overwhelming. We need reform for sure but this is not the answer.
Katie
you are wrong , i do have compassion for peoples plight but entering this country illegally is a crime and therefore they are criminal. that is the law
Comments come and comments go but karma lasts forever.
Do on to others as they have done to you. If illegals aren’t getting assistance and are working to support their families they are better as US citizens, even family, that will stab you in the back. If they are not criminals, let it be.