Latest news with #CLEAN
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
Disappeared by ICE in L.A.: How to find detained relatives
For 22 days, immigration enforcement officials have conducted sweeps in communities across the Los Angeles region, arresting an estimated 722 people between June 1 and June 10 alone. For families and immigrant advocacy groups, determining the location of detainees has been difficult. "In some cases it's been 72 hours where we have not been able to identify where their family member is and when we do, sometimes they're in the [Adelanto Detention Center]," said Flor Melendrez, executive director of CLEAN Carwash Worker Center, a nonprofit labor advocacy group. "Sometimes it's too late and [the detainee is] calling from the Ciudad Juárez or Tijuana, where they have already been deported, and that's within 72 hours." CLEAN has focused on representing workers in the car wash industry for 18 years, but in the last three weeks the group has shifted to helping families find workers who were taken during a raid and guide them toward supportive and legal services. "When the children are asking if we are going to bring their parent back home and we have no way to even respond [with] where they are, it's heartbreaking," Melendrez said. Here are the immediate steps you should take if your relative is arrested and detained by immigrant enforcement officials: If your loved one was detained by immigration enforcement agents, reach out to immigrant advocacy groups that can provide referrals, information, resources (such as food and financial assistance) and, in some cases, direct support. A network of local rapid response hotlines has been established to document immigration enforcement activity and help connect those affected to legal services and other types of support, according to the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice. The following local rapid response hotline numbers are provided by the California Immigrant Policy Center and the ACLU Southern California: Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, (888) 624-4752 Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network, (323) 805-1049 Long Beach Community Defense Network, (562) 245-9575 Órale (Long Beach), (562) 276-0267 People's Struggle San Fernando Valley, (562) 977-8118 Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, (909) 361-4588 Southern California Bilingual Rapid Response Legal Resource Hotline, (213) 833-8283 After or before you've made the call for help, gather these important documents that pertain to the detained family member: Birth certificate Medical records Past visa applications Receipt and approval notices for any immigration applications the person has previously submitted You'll also need to gather the following personal information that will be used either by you or your legal representation to locate your detained loved one: A-Number, also known as "alien registration number," which is assigned by the Department of Homeland Security to noncitizens who apply to live and work in the U.S. The seven- to nine-digit number can be found on a green card, work permit or other immigration document. Country of birth Personal information including full name and birthday There is a coalition of organizations and pro bono attorneys working to support individuals who have been detained, but it can be challenging to get immediate help because there is an overwhelming need. Because of the high demand for legal help, Public Counsel, a nonprofit public interest law firm, is currently prioritizing cases based on extreme need and often can only take a bond case or help with locating a detained person. Public Counsel warned that families who have not been affected by immigration enforcement but need help with their immigration status should look for a lawyer now and begin the immigration process in case they are detained in the future. Your options for legal help include: Immigrant Defenders Law Center, (213) 833-8283 Public Counsel, (213) 385-2977 Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, (800) 399-4529 Lalama Immigration Law, (833) 838-8472 Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, (213) 251-3505 Immigration Center for Women and Children (L.A. office), (213) 614-1165 El Rescate, (213) 387-3284 Central American Resource Center of Los Angeles, (213) 385-7800 USC Gould School of Law Immigration Clinic, (213) 821-9627 International Institute of Los Angeles, (323) 264-6217 You can also search for an immigration lawyer through the American Immigration Lawyers Association online locator tool. How to spot a fake immigration attorney: Scammers try to confuse immigrants into thinking they're an attorney by calling themselves a notario, notary public, accountant or consultant, according to the Federal Trade Commission. In Latin American countries, a notario or notary public is an attorney or has legal training, but that's not the case in the United States. How to protect yourself from the scam: Do not hire an immigration consultant or a notary. Only lawyers, accredited representatives and recognized organizations can give you legal advice or represent you in immigration court. Immigration consultants — who may call themselves immigration experts, notarios, notaries public or paralegals — cannot do so, according to California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta's office. Do not give your original important documents to anyone, unless you see proof that the government requires the original document, according to the FTC. You can verify whether a lawyer is legitimate by searching for them on the State Bar of California website and determining if they have an active law license. If your relative is arrested in Los Angeles, they will likely be taken to the federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles — sometimes called "B-18" — which is located at 320 Aliso St., according to Public Counsel. Call the detention center at (213) 830-4900 or (213) 830-7911 and provide the operator with your relative's A-Number, according to Public Counsel. You can also try locating your relative by using the Department of Homeland Security's ICE Detainee Locator System online or call (866) 347-2423, but be warned that immigration officials often won't provide detainee information over the phone and might not update their online data regularly. Whether you use the ICE online locator or call, you'll need to provide the detainee's A-Number and country of birth, or their full name and both country and date of birth. If you cannot locate your family member through this process, you can contact the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations field office closest to where the person was picked up. There are three field offices in California: Los Angeles Field Office: 300 North Los Angeles St., Room 7631, Los Angeles, CA 90012; (213) 830-7911. This office's area of responsibility includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. San Diego Field Office: 880 Front Street, #2242, San Diego, CA 92101; (619) 436-0410. This office's area of responsibility includes San Diego and Imperial counties. San Francisco Field Office: 630 Sansome Street, Room 590, San Francisco, CA 94111; (415) 365-8800. This office's area of responsibility includes Northern California, Hawaii, Guam, Saipan. Another option for locating your detained relative is contacting their country's consulate. Here is a list of local consulate offices and contact numbers. Several organizations are offering free delivery of groceries and necessities to families affected by recent immigration enforcement. Follow the organization's websites and social media accounts for up-to-date information on resource availability: The YMCA is providing confidential delivery of groceries and other essentials to affected families. Contact socialimpact@ or call (323) 244-9077 for support. InnerCity Struggle is an East Los Angeles organization that assists with groceries and rental assistance. Call (323) 780-7605. No Us Without You offers food to undocumented community members. You can fill out their eligibility form for assistance online. Comunidades Indigenas En Liderazgo (CIELO) is delivering food to Indigenous families it serves and those in the community who are afraid to go out for fear of being caught up in ICE raids. To see if you qualify for assistance, fill out their online contact form. Raíces Con Voz is a grassroots organization in Boyle Heights that is providing grocery and essential items to those in the community who feel they are unable to leave their homes due to recent ICE activity. For assistance, send the group a direct message on Instagram. World Harvest Charities and Family Services' Cart With a Heart program is providing families who are sheltering in place with grocery carts full of fresh produce, protein, pantry supplies and more. For assistance, call (213) 746-2227. La Puente Mutual Aid delivers essentials to community members without asking for a name or address of the person in need, for free. Email lapuentesdropbasket@ with a code name, your neighborhood, a safe drop spot and items needed. The El Monte Business Alliance is offering food assistance and baby products to those in need through their new program El Monte Cares. For help, call (800) 622-4302. Immigo Immigration Services delivers necessary items to families in need. Call (818) 730-0140 for assistance. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
20-06-2025
- Los Angeles Times
More L.A. car washes targeted in immigration raids, some closed amid fears of further sweeps
These days, Alejandro Cabrera doesn't do much work in his office. The manager of Touch and Glow Car Wash in Whittier instead stays outside, where his workers are, keeping his eyes peeled for approaching vehicles. If he glimpses a white Ford F-150, the type of vehicle federal law enforcement agents often use, or a gray suburban — or any car with tinted windows — his heart begins to pound. Cabrera has been on edge ever since June 9, when immigration agents raided the car wash and took three workers, although he said one was later released. His fears were only confirmed when agents returned five days later and snatched another worker. 'All the time, I'm always looking for those cars,' Cabrera said. The rash of immigration raids at local car washes have created stressful environments at the businesses that have been targeted and forced others to temporarily close out of fear of future raids. Two dozen car washes in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas have been the sites of immigration sweeps this month, according to CLEAN Carwash Worker Center, a labor advocacy nonprofit that said it has been able to verify these raids through community reports and footage on social media. Some car washes that have been targeted, such as the one that Cabrera supervises, have remained open. Others have lost enough workers — either because they were detained by immigration officials or because they're staying home, fearing future raids — that they have been forced to shut down. Misael, the owner of a car wash in Marina Del Rey, said he had to close his doors for four days straight because his employees weren't coming in. He opened the business seven years ago to pursue the American dream, he said. Misael, who declined to share his last name and asked The Times not to name his car wash out of fear for his employees' safety, is a legal immigrant from Mexico, but many of his workers don't have legal status. 'Everybody's scared. I'm scared too. But what can I do?' he said. 'I have to pay the bills, I have to pay the rent.' Misael said on Wednesday that business has been particularly slow after the raids, which could be due to the fact that customers at car wash locations have also been detained by immigration officials in prior hits. Car washes are nearly ubiquitous in the car-dependent Los Angeles, with CLEAN estimating that there's roughly 500 businesses in Los Angeles County employing about 10,000 people. The economic fallout of some of these businesses closing, even temporarily, is likely to have ripple effects. 'This is going to affect us all,' said Flor Melendrez, executive director of CLEAN. 'Because our restaurants are not full, our stores are not full, our car washes are not full, that means the workers in our communities who are not going to work, they're also not going to be spending. Those businesses that usually make a profit are not going to make a profit.' While some car washes that closed have since opened back up, Westchester Hand Wash, which was hit by raids on consecutive days earlier this month, has remained closed. Mehmet Aydogan, the car wash's owner, said of the seven workers who were picked up by immigration agents earlier this month, five have already been deported. Other workers are lying low, and several quit outright, said Aydogan, who took over the business two years ago. 'Everyone is really afraid to come back to work,' Aydogan said. 'They want to go back to Mexico, they told me. They don't even go outside the house. They are waiting until things calm down to leave.' Aydogan wants to reopen soon, but he said he does not want to convince workers to come back, just in case agents return once again. And he worries that in addition to the federal government crackdown driving away workers, customers will be frightened too — especially if the enforcement actions continue for weeks or months. 'This will be very bad. I will lose all the guys, and no one will come to the business as customer or employee. And everyone will think something is wrong with this car wash,' he said. 'It's destroying the business.' Early Thursday morning, several potential customers drove up to the lot where Westchester Hand Wash sits. About six cars pulled up to the normally bustling location, confused as to why their regular spot wasn't attracting a long line of sap-covered cars, as it usually would on a spring morning. Cynthia Bell, a 59-year-old resident of Playa Vista and regular customer, got out of her car to take a closer look at the sign that read, 'Sorry, we are now closed.' 'My car needs a good wash and they'll clean your mats and everything, but just looking at it, it looks kind of deserted,' Bell said. 'I've never seen it like this.' A handful of other hopeful customers asked Bell, who was standing near the sign, to confirm whether the location was closed. One man, who now lives in Seattle, stopped by while he was visiting in hopes of buying the air fresheners he used to love from the spot he once frequented. A small crowd of customers began to gather around 8:45 a.m., and Bell said she wondered whether they'd be open at 9 a.m. 'They're always open early,' another said. Minutes before 9 a.m., Bell drove away, seeing no signs the business would be up and running anytime soon.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Former York County officer allegedly used law enforcement database for ‘dating purposes'
YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) – Newly obtained court documents unveiled new details on the former York County police officer accused of misusing a law enforcement database dozens of times for 'dating purposes.' Search warrants for Facebook and Snapchat data detail that Sean Lake, 32, of Dover, allegedly used the personal information he gathered from a law enforcement database to message women. Previous coverage -> Former York County police officer accused of misusing law enforcement database more than 30 times Lake is accused of looking up over a dozen women through the Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network (CLEAN) database, while he was a police officer, according to State Police. Lake was first given access to CLEAN in July 2020 when he worked with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and that access was eventually barred in January 2025 while he was with York County Regional Police. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Lake was charged after being accused of making 32 queries that served no purpose for law enforcement use. One of the alleged victims was a former York County Sheriff's Deputy, who had two of her personal vehicle registrations run through the database by Lake, according to court documents. Lake allegedly queried the registration of her vehicle after he left York County Central Booking, then eventually sent her a message and friend requested her on Facebook. Lake allegedly admitted he got her information by looking up her vehicle's plate and admitted he could get into trouble, the warrant shows. Court documents also show Lake allegedly made three different queries of a woman, who gave him part of her name after they met at a local bar. Another woman accused Lake of recording them while having sex without her permission, and when she confronted him about it, he allegedly said that it was something 'guys do,' the warrant details. Pennsylvanians can now carry concealed firearms in 30th state Court documents indicate investigators believe 'it is probable' that Lake may have recorded additional women without their consent and shared them with other people. Lake faces 32 felony charges of unlawful use of a computer. Lake is out on unsecured bail set at $50,000 by Magisterial District Judge Scott Laird. He is scheduled to be formally arraigned on July 10. In a statement following charges being filed, York County Regional Police said it holds all employees to the highest of standards. 'We have fully cooperated with the Pennsylvania State Police throughout the course of this investigation,' the statement reads. 'The Department holds all its employees to the highest standards of ethical, moral, and lawful conduct—both on and off duty. If an employee fails to meet these expectations, appropriate action will be taken to guarantee accountability.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Former York County police officer accused of misusing law enforcement database more than 30 times
YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A former York County police officer is facing charges after allegedly misusing a law enforcement database dozens of times, court documents show. State Police at York said in a criminal complaint, Sean Lake, 32, of Dover, allegedly made more than 32 queries through the database to get information for his own use. York County Regional Police said they fully cooperated with State Police during the investigation and that it holds all employees to the highest of standards. 'We have fully cooperated with the Pennsylvania State Police throughout the course of this investigation,' the statement reads. 'The Department holds all its employees to the highest standards of ethical, moral, and lawful conduct—both on and off duty. If an employee fails to meet these expectations, appropriate action will be taken to guarantee accountability.' Lake is accused of 'misusing Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network (CLEAN) and other systems to surreptitiously obtain demographical information for personal use,' police said in the complaint. CLEAN is also a way for law enforcement in Pennsylvania to access the National Crime Information Center, the FBI's National Crime Information Center, and the International Justice and Public Safety Sharing network. State Police said Lake was first given access to CLEAN in July 2020 when he worked with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. His access was first switched when he worked with Lower Windsor Police in August 2022. Then again, when he began working with York County Regional Police in September 2023, and remained in place until being barred Jan. 9, 2025. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now There was an audit that was done by State Police that found several instances where Lake allegedly misused the database, the complaint says. Through multiple interviews, Troopers learned that there was no legitimate law enforcement reason for the queries. State Police said a total of 19 people were looked up by Lake through the database, and he allegedly messaged 15 of them through his Facebook. A total of 19 people had their information searched by Lake, and State Police said that he also allegedly searched for or messaged 15 of them on Facebook. Lake had to go through training and answer statements regarding the lawful use of the database before he could access it. Lake faces 32 felony charges of unlawful use of a computer. Lake is out on unsecured bail set at $50,000 by Magisterial District Judge Scott Laird. He is scheduled to be formally arraigned July 10. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
