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Under a cold night’s sky, neighbors came together on Thursday for a vigil at the intersection of Cambridge Street and Brighton Avenue, near Allston Car Wash (434 Cambridge St), where nine workers were detained by Immigration and  Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials while working there two days before.

The hour-long vigil was organized by LUCE Immigration Network of Massachusetts and featured speeches from a mix of elected officials, immigrants, activists and religious leaders. Elizabeth “Liz” Breadon, who represents Allston-Brighton on Boston City Council, was joined by Councilor Enrique Pepén of District 5 (Hyde Park) and Councilor Ben Weber of District 6 (West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain).

The vigil came in response to an ICE raid at the beginning of the workday on Tuesday. Five women and four men were detained, according to a report from the Boston Globe, including “at least one mother and daughter and a grandfather who has been in the country for more than two decades.” Since then, Allston Car Wash has operated under limited hours between 9 A.M. and 4 P.M.

“When we heard about the raid on Tuesday, we had verifiers on the scene within half an hour, who were figuring out what happened, talking to affected people, trying to get facts in the ground,” says Amanda Eisenhour, who is a LUCE volunteer.

Sandra, a relative of one of the detained workers, told the audience through an interpreter that the workers have been denied food and have faced pressure to sign papers while in detention.

“It’s inhumane what they are doing to the families in this country. The families who are working to put bread on the table to support their families. It is inhumane. It is horrific what they’re doing, and we have to stop it,” she says through an interpreter. 

“Car washers are care workers.”

“They care for the cars that people depend on to get to work, to school, to appointments to see their families. They take care of a piece of people’s daily lives. And like so many care workers, house cleaners, home health aides, cooks, gardeners, they do essential labor that keeps everything moving, often without recognition or protection,” says a relative of Yuli Magali Mendez Luarca, a woman who was detained, in an anonymous statement. “My sister and her coworkers show up every day, rain or shine, to provide a service that keeps others safe and cared for, yet instead of being valued, they are targeted and punished.”

Eisenhour said that the purpose of the vigil was to bring the community together to stand against ICE. Beyond the vigil, LUCE volunteers based in Allston-Brighton have worked to mobilize community resources, such as legal aid, for the detainees. They also set up a GoFundMe, which raised over 18,000 dollars in 48 hours, for mutual aid and legal support. 

“There’s a saying you might have heard before. Solo el pueblo salva el pueblo, only the people can save the people,” she says.

“We’re the ones who keep each other safe. We’re the ones who are out here every day, who are watching, who are a part of this group. It’s been obviously horrible, but it’s also been one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen to see everyone come together and ask ‘How can I help?’” she says. “That’s all it takes.”

Lucimara Rodrigues, a Brazilian immigrant who has lived in Allston-Brighton for 22 years, said that she appreciates the sense of unity from the neighborhood that came from the vigil. 

“I stay here because they are not my community, they are my family here now,” she says. “I love this country. I love these people. I love my neighborhood, and [we] need to stay together.”

Flavia, a Brazilian immigrant who works as a domestic worker, spoke about the vital role of immigrant workers in Allston-Brighton. 

“Our hands hold the rhythm of daily life, and our care keeps our community moving,” she says.

“An attack on me, on the car washers, on any immigrant worker is an attack on all of us. We demand dignity, not detention.” ■

Cover Image: Pietra Adami, of LUCE and Brazilian Women’s Group (697 Cambridge St Suite 106), makes a statement on community mobilization against ICE. By Joanna Lin.