The U.S. Pentagon announced it will withdraw 2,000 National Guard troops from the Los Angeles region. (photo by Sam Mulick)

A second man detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement at a West Hollywood car wash on July 4 was identified as Juan Carlos Delgado Avelino. Avelino, an employee of more than 30 years at the car wash, is currently held at the Adelanto Detention Center.

In response to the raid, the city of West Hollywood joined a lawsuit against the federal government alleging that immigration raids are unconstitutional because they are based on ethnicity and do not provide reasonable suspicion or probable cause.

A federal judge on July 11 ruled in favor of West Hollywood, Los Angeles and surrounding cities, barring federal immigration agents from using racial profiling to conduct immigration raids. The Trump administration said it would appeal the ruling. Following the lawsuit, the Pentagon announced it is withdrawing 2,000 National Guard troops from the Los Angeles region.

“This ruling is a powerful victory for justice and human rights,” West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Lee Byers said. “The court’s decision to issue two temporary restraining orders against the Department of Homeland Security speaks volumes. No one should be stopped based on race, language, location or the work they do, and no one should face detention without access to legal representation.”

The city of Beverly Hills announced on July 15 that it is also joining the federal lawsuit against ICE raids.

ICE officers on July 4 detained two workers at the Santa Palm Car Wash in the 8700 block of Santa Monica Boulevard. Silvestre Jiménez Gómez, an employee at the car wash for more than 30 years, was detained and deported to Mexico. Jessica Delgado, Avelino’s daughter, said the conditions at the Adelanto ICE facility are “terrible and inhumane,” and that her father suffers from gout and arthritis.

“It’s dirty, cramped and there’s no privacy. They have 80 people in a room, they can’t bathe, they share one toilet and they sleep on the floor,” she said. “It’s very cold. Their food is terrible. My father gets a tortilla in the morning and milk and cookies at night and that is it. And the number of people incarcerated is excessive.”

Andrea Gertler, Delgado’s co-worker, set up a GoFundMe campaign to support her family’s monthly expenses in her father’s absence. The money will go toward Delgado’s grandmother and disabled uncle, who were both supported by Avelino.

“[My father is] a hard-working man who goes to work seven days a week, regardless of his physical condition or the weather,” Delgado said. “For him, the most important thing is that his family is well, that my grandmother doesn’t lack food or her medication. He is a very noble, strong, unconditional man.”

Avelino came to the U.S. over 30 years ago to provide a better life for his family, Delgado said. She added that he is a generous man who always offered “words of encouragement whenever the people he loves need them.”

Delgado currently does not know how long her father will be held at the ICE facility, but said that Avelino will resume working once he is deported to Mexico to continue supporting his family. To donate to Delgado, visit gofundme.com/f/help-juan-self-deport-safely-and-with-dignity.

Juan Carlos Delgado Avelino was detained by ICE on July 4 at the Santa Palm Car Wash and is currently being held at the Adelanto Detention Center. (photo courtesy of Jessica Delgado)