Carwash Workers Are Organizing Patrols To Watch for Immigration Sweeps

Here are the morning’s top stories on Friday, September 12, 2025…

• Dozens of carwash employees and their family members rallied alongside immigrant rights activists in Los Angeles on Thursday to denounce federal immigration raids at their worksites. Now, they’re organizing patrols for possible future sweeps.

• Shasta County’s voter-approved plan to become a charter county has been delayed by months because local officials failed to file necessary paperwork with the state. Local officials say the paperwork was finally filed last month.

• A push to build an immigration detention facility at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield is now on hold, according to the Department of Defense.

Amid Los Angeles Immigration Raids, Carwash Workers Say They’re Especially Vulnerable 

Immigrant rights advocates say roughly 250 car wash workers at more than 80 Los Angeles locations have been detained by immigration officials in recent months.

Flor Melendrez, executive director of the CLEAN Carwash Worker Center says these workers have become targets of immigration agents due in part to the fact that employees often work outdoors.

Melendrez and her organization are part of a broader, grassroots effort to train observers to monitor raids by ICE.

“We need more eyes on the ground,” Melendrez said. “We as community could be the difference between a worker making it home tonight or a worker being kidnapped, being separated from their families.”

Shasta’s Switch to Charter County Stalled by Clerical Oversight

Shasta County residents voted in March of 2024 to become a charter county, giving local leaders more freedom to make their own governance rules, like how to fill vacant board seats.

That change should have taken effect at the start of the year, but County Supervisor Kevin Crye revealed that officials failed to file necessary paperwork with the state until late last month.

The revelation has led to finger-pointing among county leadership.

“It’s important for the public to understand that board members do not carry out administrative responsibilities related to implementing or processing ordinances after their adoption,” Crye said during Tuesday’s board meeting. “Instead, those responsibilities rest with the county staff and designated departments, electeds, etc. who assure that ordinances are properly filed, codified and carried out in accordance with applicable law.”

Immigration Detention Facility at Travis Air Force Base on Hold

Government communications obtained by KQED in April revealed that the Trump administration was pushing to speed up a review process for a proposed detention facility at Travis air Force Base in Fairfield, sparking concern and  condemnations.

The news came amid reports that Homeland Security officials were considering at least 10 military bases around the country for immigration detention. At the time, federal officials with the base and the Department of Defense did not return requests for comment. But months later, DOD officials have finally responded to say that the base will not be designated for migrant-detention related activities at this time.

Congressman John Garamendi, who represents the area, said he plans to remain vigilant because defense officials have approved immigration jails on military bases in other states.