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Three of the nine workers arrested in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at Allston Car Wash earlier this month were granted release on bond in Massachusetts immigration court on Thursday morning, bringing the total number of employees granted bond to six.
Sisters Clarisa and Heidy Aguilon of Guatemala and Felicita Valladares of El Salvador were granted immediate release on bond by Judge Natalie Smith in immigration court on Thursday. Aguilon and Valladares’ bonds were set for $3000.
The Aguilons and Valladares all received letters of support from U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Allston-Brighton City Councilor Elizabeth “Liz” A. Breadon. Smith said that the length of each of their residencies and employment histories in Allston, along with family ties in the U.S. and documented support from Allston-Brighton residents, made them unlikely flight risks. Their immigration cases await final decisions.
Both Aguilons and Valladares are currently detained at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington, Vermont. They must post bond before temporary release. Authorities have not disclosed when the three may expect to be released, and other employees detained in the same raid have already experienced processing delays.
On Monday, Yuli Magali Mendez Luarca of Guatemala, Jose Enriquez Sagastume of Honduras, and Dairo Preciado of El Salvador were granted bond in immigration court hearings by immigration judge Yul-mi Cho. But they were not released until Tuesday night, after volunteers spent Monday and Tuesday attempting to post bond but encountered processing delays from the government.
Attorney Todd Pomerleau, whose firm has represented all nine employees, said that he expects the remaining three detained employees — Hector Valladares, Pablo Oseas Lopez, and Vanessa Vasquez Valladares — to receive bond hearings by the end of next week.
Allston residents have rallied behind the nine arrested workers. At a vigil two weeks ago, more than 100 people gathered at an intersection near the car wash to call for their release.
On Monday night, roughly 80 people gathered on the sidewalk in front of Boston University’s Marsh Chapel to protest ICE presence in Boston and stand in silent vigil for the nine employees. The rally was organized by the Boston Democratic Socialists of America and the LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts.
The raid drew BU itself into controversy after the president of the BU College Republicans, Zac Segal, posted on X to claim responsibility for the raid, saying he had called ICE to the car wash for months before authorities showed up. Local advocates called for BU to take action against Segal, and the incident sparked outrage among BU students.
Back Bay Young Democratic Socialists, an unrecognized group of undergraduates at BU, will also host a student-oriented walkout and protest in Marsh Chapel on Friday afternoon.
—Staff writer Angelina J. Parker can be reached at angelina.parker@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @angelinajparker.
—Staff writer Emily T. Schwartz can be reached at emily.schwartz@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @EmilySchwartz37.
