ICE agents led workers away from the Santa Palm Car Wash in West Hollywood on July 4. (photo by of Jason Coughlan)

Two workers at a West Hollywood car wash were detained on July 4 by what appeared to be federal immigration authorities.

Unmarked SUVs drove up to the Santa Palm Car Wash in the 8700 block of Santa Monica Boulevard around 11 a.m., according to Jason Coughlan, a West Hollywood resident who was at the scene. In a video shared with the Beverly Press, masked men and women in military uniforms appeared around the car wash and escorted workers away. Glen Rogers, owner of the car wash, confirmed at a July 7 West Hollywood City Council meeting that two workers were detained. He called on the City Council to do everything within its power to stop the raids and alerted other business owners to the unannounced raid, where no agents identified themselves.

“The guys are hard working,” he said. “They’re not criminals. I’ve never seen people afraid to go to work, just wanting to do their job.”

Silvestre Jiménez Gómez, an employee at the car wash for more than 30 years, was detained and deported to Mexico, according to a video posted on social media by his son Edgar Jiménez. Gómez was the sole breadwinner for his family, and Jiménez set up a GoFundMe to support his mother in his absence. As of July 9, the GoFundMe has raised more than $22,000. To donate, visit gofund.me/f0c942ea.

Jiménez said his father chose to be deported to Mexico rather than remain in ICE detention out of concerns for his health.

“He doesn’t want to be treated like a criminal when all he did was just come here for a better life,” Jiménez said. “He doesn’t deserve that. Nobody deserves that.”

A West Hollywood resident, who had been in touch with Jiménez and spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Gómez was held in a cell with 30 other people and had to use the bathroom in front of others. Gómez was able to unite with a family member in Mexico and cried when he learned of the community’s response through the GoFundMe, the resident said.

Unidentified and unannounced federal authorities raided the Santa Palm Car Wash, located in the 8700 block of Santa Monica Boulevard. (photo by Sam Mulick)

As a sanctuary city, West Hollywood officials and the sheriff’s department do not cooperate with ICE or the Department of Justice to assist in detainments, city officials confirmed at the June 23 City Council meeting. Additionally, the sheriff’s department does not respond to federal raids and had no awareness or additional information on the July 4 raid, said acting watch commander Sgt. Jeremy Viger. The city condemned the raid and other recent federal actions as “discriminatory assaults on our communities” in a statement on July 4.

West Hollywood also expanded informational resources at the July 7 City Council meeting, which included hosting virtual know-your-rights workshops, promoting social services and food delivery for community members impacted by the raids and for employees of businesses in the city who might be scared to go to work. The city is expanding the WeHo Responds website and authorizing the city attorney to take legal action in response to federal immigration enforcement.

Community members at the meeting called on the council to go further to counter federal authorities and protect the community. West Hollywood resident Lynn Hoopingarner asked the city to outlaw anyone wearing a mask and carrying a weapon at the same time. Resident Nik Roybal called on the council to emulate Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who confronted federal officers during an operation at MacArthur Park and demanded them to leave.

Councilwoman Lauren Meister proposed for the sheriff’s department to dispatch officers to vehicles that have no license plate to confirm their identity and enforce West Hollywood laws, which include pulling over and towing vehicles without a license plate. She also proposed enforcing local detainment of individuals within the city who are masked, possess a firearm and have no identification.

“We are enforcing our local laws,” Meister said. “We are not interfering. We are doing our job – making sure that our community, our constituents are safe.”

Vice Mayor John Heilman also proposed expanding social services for immigrant community members to include legal representation.

Mayor Chelsea Byers appeared alongside Bass during a July 8 press conference, where West Hollywood joined other L.A. County cities in filing a motion to join in a lawsuit against the federal government that prevents the agents from engaging in unconstitutional stops, round ups and raids without probable cause or based on perceived ethnicity.

“West Hollywood stands with cities across the region in rejecting these tactics,” Byers said. “We reaffirm our commitment to protecting the dignity, the rights and the humanity of all people regardless of immigration status.”