Seven Workers Detained by Suspected ICE Agents at Pasadena Car Wash; One Released

Seven employees of a Pasadena car wash near Old Pasadena were detained by individuals believed to be U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shortly before noon Friday, according to city spokesperson Lisa Derderian.

One of the men was released shortly after the initial detentions, Derderian told Pasadena Now during an interview she conducted from the business, located at 164 W. Del Mar Blvd., near Old Pasadena.

Derderian confirmed that no Pasadena police officers were present during the incident and none witnessed the activity.

The car wash’s owner and manager were at the scene and appeared “visibly shaken,” Derderian said. Family members of the detained workers have begun gathering at the location, along with nonprofit organizations offering support to the families.

Pasadena Unified School District spokesperson Hilda Ramirez Horvath said that Blair students were briefly placed in a “shelter in place” status due to law enforcement activity in the area.

“There was no activity on or near the school,” Ramirez Horvath said.

Further details about the incident were not immediately available.