California car wash ICE raid: 79-year-old files $50M civil rights claim

VAN NUYS, Calif. - A 79-year-old car wash owner has filed a $50 million claim against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies, alleging he was violently injured during a September 9 immigration raid at his business in Van Nuys.

What we know:

Rafie Ollah Shoued, owner of Valley Car Wash, says masked agents carried out a late-morning raid on his business on Sept. 9.

According to Shoued, who provided video and photographs to back up his claims, an agent shoved him to the ground in a hallway as he tried to find out what was going on.

He further claimed that when he went outside to speak with the agents and show them papers proving the workers had authorization, he was cursed, pushed and then "violently body slammed ... onto the pavement," according to a statement provided by his attorneys.

During a news conference Thursday, Shoued said he initially thought the people who raided his store were bounty hunters.

Shoued, a U.S. citizen, says he was then taken to a detention center and held for nearly 12 hours without medical care, despite telling agents he could not breathe and had recently had heart surgery.

The same car wash was raided earlier this summer. 

What they're saying:

According to a statement from his attorneys, "Shoued cried out that he had recently undergone heart surgery and had three stents in his chest, that he could not breathe, and that he needed an ambulance." 

The statement further claimed that "agents ignored his pleas, handcuffed him and transported him to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, where he was held nearly 12 hours without medical attention." 

Shoued alleges that agents knew he was a U.S. citizen but kept him in custody. 

"Even after agents admitted they knew he was a U.S. citizen, he was kept in custody, denied phone calls to his family, and released without charges," his attorneys said.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Officials investigate death of Mexican man in ICE custody in Southern California

Upon his release, his son took him to the hospital, where he was treated for broken ribs, elbow injuries, contusions, and a traumatic brain injury. 

Shoued continues to suffer physical pain, psychological trauma and the concerning effects of a traumatic brain injury, according to his attorneys.

The claim names the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"These masked agents’ conduct was lawless, reckless and cruel," said V. James DeSimone, the Los Angeles civil rights attorney representing him.

"If this can happen in broad daylight to an American senior citizen who committed no crime, it can happen to anyone. This was not law enforcement, it was an assault on civil rights and our democracy cannot survive if federal agents operate above the law."

Local perspective:

About a week after the immigration raid at Valley Car Wash, seven employees at Bixby Knolls car wash in Long Beach were detained during an ICE raid.

This operation occurred shortly after the Supreme Court allowed immigration authorities to resume patrols, following advocacy groups' challenges regarding the legality of such stops. The Clean Car Wash Workers Center, a grassroots organization, reports that over 80 local car washes have been targeted since the raids began this summer, with more than 250 workers taken into custody.

What you can do:

Following the numerous raids at LA area car washes, activist groups launched a car wash protection unit calling on community members to get more involved in recording federal agents conducting arrests.

"If you adopt your local car wash, your video could make the difference between someone going home at the end of their shift or ending up detained," said Flor Melendez, CLEAN's Executive, adding that agents tend to be more respectful and careful when they are being documented. 

"We want people to follow the law, but document what is happening," explained Pablo Alvarado, Co-Executive Director of the National Day Laborere Organizing Network, which has been involved in the Rapid Reaction Network efforts to have people post sightings of federal agents on social media.

Those videos are often used by attorneys representing people detained by ICE agents. Since the raids began, activists insist car wash workers have been the target of more than 80 immigration raids in Southern California, with approximately 250 workers arrested. 

Interested community members can contact info@cleancarwash.org for more information.