Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)
Congresswoman Reaffirms Support for Immigrant Neighbors, Welcomes Home Allston Car Wash Workers Unlawfully Detained
Press Conference (YouTube) | Photos (Dropbox)
BOSTON – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) convened and welcomed home the workers and families impacted by the cruel and unlawful ICE raid at an Allston car wash in November. Last week, Congresswoman Pressley delivered a floor speech condemning the raid, where rogue federal agents harassed and abducted employees at Allston Car Wash, denying them their right to show their work permits. Among them were five women and a 67-year-old man who was disappeared for days without access to his medication.
Congresswoman Pressley’s office has been in close touch with the families and has worked with them to track down their loved ones and connect them with legal counsel.
“In communities like Allston and all across the country, workers and families are being ripped apart and having their lives disrupted by the occupant of the White House and rogue federal agents who mean harm to everyone who calls this country home. It is cruel, it is unlawful, and we must condemn, resist, and reject this hostility at every turn,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “I’m deeply grateful to the families and advocates who joined us today to share their stories. We cannot allow this cruelty to be normalized—and uplifting their experiences will be critical as we push back against the Trump Administration’s mass deportation agenda. While Trump and ICE continue their campaign of terror, I’ll always stand up for our immigrant neighbors.”
Joining Congresswoman Pressley at the convening were City Councilor Liz Breadon, Pietra Adami, LUCE Volunteer Network; Todd Pomerleau, Mass Deportation Defense; Brooke Simone, Lawyers for Civil Rights; Gladys Ortiz, Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants; Hannah Davila, Boston Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement; Liz Sweet, Executive Director at MIRA Coalition; and Allston Car Wash workers and families.
“These individuals were wrongfully taken from their workplace, families, and community, even though many had valid work permits and were contributing members of our community,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. “Boston stands with them and with every worker who deserves safety, dignity, and fair treatment under the law.”
“Allston-Brighton is a community of immigrants, immigrants who deserve to live without fear. I am relieved that the majority of our neighbors who were unjustly kidnapped by ICE have been reunited with their loved ones. I want to thank our local immigrant rights organizations, LUCE, and our elected officials for their tireless work,” said Allston-Brighton City Councilor Liz Breadon. “Allston-Brighton will continue to resist the Trump Administration through collective action and support for our immigrant community members.”
“Our Office for Refugees and Immigrants receives calls almost every day depicting the desperation and anxiety of the immigrants living, working, and studying in Massachusetts. Our office will continue working with the community, organizations, and lawyers to help families in need,” said Susan Church, Chief Operating Officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Office for Refugees and Immigrants. “What happened in Allston is beyond a nightmare, and it’s the cruel reality many communities are facing at this time in our country. I feel proud of the work the community here in Massachusetts did to get workers from the Allston Car Wash back to their neighborhood.”
“ICE’s racially-motivated targeting of the car wash workers was an abuse of power and a violation of their most basic rights. Lawyers for Civil Rights is committed to using every tool available to pursue justice for the workers who were targeted and to hold the government accountable,” said Brooke Simone, an attorney with Lawyers for Civil Rights. “Racial profiling is unconstitutional, unlawful, and immoral. We will not allow these abuses to go unanswered.”
Footage of the press conference is available here.
For photos from the event, click here.
Last month, Rep. Pressley delivered a powerful speech on the House floor condemning the Allston ICE raid and defended the vibrant immigrant communities who are being maliciously stolen from their homes, ripped from their families, and unlawfully detained and deported by the Trump Administration and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In June, Congresswoman Pressley convened immigrant justice advocates, local leaders, and impacted families to tell Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): Hands off our immigrant neighbors.
Rep. Pressley has been a vocal advocate for our immigrant neighbors and everyone harmed by Donald Trump’s unlawful, anti-immigrant, and anti-free speech agenda. Congresswoman Pressley, who serves as Co-Chair for the House Haiti Caucus and represents one of the largest Haitian diaspora communities in the country, has also been an outspoken critic of the Trump Administration’s ending of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti, Venezuela, El Salvador, and other countries grappling with humanitarian crises.
Rep. Pressley has also been an outspoken critic against the unlawful detention of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts PhD student, Somerville resident, and constituent of the Congresswoman’s who was unlawfully detained for weeks in retaliation for her protected speech. After weeks of advocacy and Congressional oversight, including a visit to detention centers in Louisiana, Rep. Pressley and Senator Ed Markey welcomed Ms. Öztürk to Massachusetts following her arrival from ICE detention in Louisiana.
Rep. Pressley has also spoken out against reports of ICE activity in Boston and other municipalities in Massachusetts.
In January 2025, Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues in reintroducing the Neighbors Not Enemies Act, legislation that would repeal the antiquated Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which has been used to target innocent immigrants based on nothing more than national origin without affording due process rights, and which Donald Trump has used in his plans for mass deportations.
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