Longtime West Hollywood Worker with Family’s Rent Money Taken in Raid
A group of masked men and women, without official identification, grabbed at least three people during a Fourth of July raid at a West Hollywood car wash, including a 65-year-old man who had lived in the community for more than three decades. It was an all too familiar scene in Los Angeles since Trump sent these unidentifiable agents into Los Angeles starting a month ago, but this was the first time, that we know of, that a West Hollywood business was raided.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid occurred around 11:00 a.m. at the Santa Palm Car Wash on Santa Monica Boulevard. According to family members, Silvestre Jiménez Gómez was at work when he was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. He had been carrying money to pay his family’s rent at the time of the incident.
WeHo Times was the first to report the story and posted this video from someone who was at the car wash while the employees were being taken away.
@wehotimes There was an ICE raid in the city of West Hollywood on 4th of July, at Santa Palm Car Wash at 8787 Santa Monica Blvd. According to reports, 3 people—Possibly 4 were taken. The raid happened at 11am. The manager at the car wash says they were in and out in about 10 minutes. They blocked the driveway and chaos ensued. One man was tackled in the nearby alleyway. The manager says the employees have been working there for many years. Video by @jasonrobert21 #wehotimes #wehonews #wehocity #westhollywood #weho #lasd #ice #iceraids @City of West Hollywood ♬ original sound – WEHO TIMES
Also detained was Juan Carlos Delgado-Abelino, another worker at the car wash. A fourth person may have also been taken into custody, though that has not been confirmed by federal authorities.
Jiménez Gómez’s son, Edgar Jiménez, said the arrest and subsequent deportation devastated their family. He confirmed his father chose to return voluntarily to Mexico rather than remain in U.S. custody.
“He didn’t want to be handcuffed, shackled, and treated like a criminal,” Edgar Jiménez said.
Jiménez Gómez leaves behind five children and five grandchildren in the U.S., according to his family. With the rent money still in his possession when detained, his wife had to urgently find another way to cover the family’s housing expenses. In response, the family launched a GoFundMe campaign to help offset the financial impact.
