Overview

• Rafie Ollah Shouhed alleges masked agents shoved and body-slammed him during a Sept. 9 enforcement operation at Valley Car Wash, with surveillance video showing takedowns inside and outside the business.
• He says agents ignored his pleas about a recent heart surgery, pinned him with a knee on his neck, detained him for nearly 12 hours without medical care, and released him without charges; doctors later treated him for broken ribs, elbow injuries, contusions, and post-concussive symptoms.
• The $50 million federal civil rights claim names DHS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, and ICE, and alleges assault, battery, violations of the California Bane Act, and deliberate indifference to medical needs.
• DHS said the operation targeted five undocumented immigrants and that the owner was arrested for allegedly assaulting and impeding a federal officer, while ICE told NBC Los Angeles it was not involved in the car wash action.
• Advocacy groups link the incident to a wider surge in car-wash raids in Southern California, reporting more than 80 locations targeted and roughly 250 workers taken into custody, as community networks mobilize to document encounters.