More than half of the Allston Car Wash workers arrested by ICE freed by immigration judge

Six of the nine Allston Car Wash workers recently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been granted bail, as a Chelmsford immigration judge ordered three more workers to be freed at a hearing Thursday.

The workers have been fighting for their release since being detained by federal immigration agents in a raid Nov. 4. Several were detained after they couldn’t immediately produce immigration documents on the spot at work.

In the days after the arrests, the workers were scattered across New England detention cells. One woman was transferred to Texas. According to her attorneys, she was returned after they filed a lawsuit contesting her transfer.

Three other workers were granted bail Tuesday.

At Thursday’s hearing, lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security agreed the three workers did not pose any danger to the public. They still pushed to keep them in custody, arguing the women could be flight risks.

The lawyer for all nine workers, Todd Pomerleau, said they had family in the area. One worker is a mother to a young child who is a U.S. citizen, he said.

Pomerleau said Thursday's decision “speaks volumes” about serious problems with how ICE carried out the raid.

“Not one time did DHS argue that any of them are dangerous people, which contradicts the narrative that they’re criminal, illegal aliens,” Pomerleau said.

He said the group arrest has been a “traumatizing incident” for his clients. Pomerleau also said this case is an example of ICE’s broader failures to prioritize due process and constitutional rights during apprehensions.

“In our country, you get illegally arrested by ICE, then you have to sue in federal court to get a bond hearing, to then pay money to get released from custody, and then pay money or rely on volunteers to fight your case that never should have been brought forward in the first place," he said. "It’s an unconstitutional merry-go-round.”

The workers received letters from Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Boston City Councilor Liz Breadon supporting their release.

The raid ignited political controversy and an online frenzy after Boston University student and College Republicans’ chapter president Zac Segal said he reported the workers to ICE, calling them "criminals." The Department of Homeland Security would not confirm whether Segal's tip prompted the raid. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the operation was “targeted.”

The owners of the Allston Car Wash called Segal’s actions “reckless,” saying he had never raised concerns with them directly. Segal has denied any wrongdoing and said he’s faced death threats since the posts went viral.

Pomerleau pushed back on how the workers have been portrayed by Segal and others online.

"They have different reasons why there here, different countries that they're from," Pomerleau said. "They're all unique people who came here for a better life."

The three workers who remain in detention are waiting for bond hearings.