While many Southern Californians celebrated the Fourth of July holiday, some were detained by federal agents Friday as part of the ongoing immigration enforcement by the Department of Homeland Security.
After opting to stay open on the holiday, Santa Palm Car Wash in West Hollywood got a visit from agents with bullet-proof vests at around 11 a.m. Friday.
The business manager told NBC Los Angeles that the agents were in and out in 10 minutes, arresting people who have been working for the car wash for decades. It was not immediately clear how many people were detained.
Another employee was tackled in a nearby alley, the manager said.
A man who declined to be identified said his father was those detained by the agents.
“My dad came to work today on the Fourth of July. He loves his country. We’ve been here as long as I’ve been around,” the son said, adding someone alerted him about what happened at the car wash after seeing videos circulating on social media.
“We came here to see it ourselves, and we found his car here,” he said, explaining his 65-year-old father worked for the same car wash for three decades. “(My father) is not a criminal. He wasn’t doing anything he was supposed to. He came to work on the Fourth of July to make some money to pay his bills and buy some food.”
It was not immediately clear where the man’s father was after being detained.
NBC Los Angeles reached out to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.