ICE Terror Unleashed in Los Angeles

Suzi Weissman interviews Flor Melendrez

SUZI WEISSMAN: TODAY we’re joined by Flor Melendrez of Clean Car Wash, a workers center in the LA area. She’s here to talk about how immigration raids are impacting the carwasheros, who work in the car wash industry.

Flor Melendrez: Workers noticed surveillance happening near the car wash two or three days before the raid. When the cars finally came into the car wash, the people getting out of these vehicles were masked and armed. They were going after workers, grabbing them with force and putting them into vehicles without answering any questions.

Even when workers tried explaining or showing something, there was no opportunity to do so. Customers were taken, even some of the people waiting at the bus stop or standing outside. I think it was racial profiling,

At least 57 of the carwashes have been visited by some sort of enforcement agency. A lot of these have been visited more than once, some even up to four times within a short period of time. Approximately 110 workers have been kidnapped from these different locations. It is definitely a chilling effect in the industry.

A lot of the workers have decided to shelter at home, regardless of their status, have seen in the media that they are not safe regardless of whether they have status or not.

from KPFK’s “Beneath the Surface,” July 24, 2025

September-October 2025, ATC 238