The president of the Boston University College Republicans said in social media posts that he repeatedly tipped off immigration authorities about an Allston car wash that was later raided.
In a post on X about a week ago, Zac Segal wrote that he called U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for “months on end,” and that agents had “finally responded to my request to detain these criminals.”
Segal is a volunteer intern for Republican gubernatorial candidate and former MBTA leader Brian Shortsleeve.
“We don’t answer for anyone else’s social media,” Holly Robichaud, a spokeswoman for Shortsleeve’s campaign, said Thursday. “Brian supports enforcing our law, including our immigration laws, and Brian supports due process.”
Over a dozen ICE agents surrounded the Allston Car Wash on the morning of Nov. 4, blocking the entrances to the business. Nine employees were taken into custody.
Many of them reportedly had legal status, but were unable to immediately provide their documentation when questioned by agents.
Online ICE detainee locators show that several of the detained workers are still in custody around New England.
In a statement, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the ICE action on Nov. 4 “resulted in the arrest of 9 illegal aliens including an illegal alien who chose to commit a felony by illegally re-entering the U.S.”
She said three of the people “entered under the Biden administration, four were got-aways at the border, one entered illegally under W. Bush, and another overstayed his visa which expired under President Clinton.”
ICE did not confirm whether Segal’s calls prompted the action and did not respond to questions about whether his tips led to the raid.
The car wash manager, Jose Barrera, declined to comment on Segal’s social media post.
“As someone who lives in the neighborhood, I’ve seen how American jobs are being given away to those with no right to be here. Pump up the numbers!” Segal wrote on X on Nov. 7, three days after the raid.
Segal is a Boston University sophomore who has said he’s American, but grew up in Britain.
He made another post on X Thursday after the Boston Globe reported on the car wash arrests, writing, “we must stand up for this country.”
Segal did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Members of the Allston-Brighton community expressed outrage online and urged people to contact Boston University administrators to complain.
WBUR has reached out to Boston University for comment.
In a September interview with WBUR, in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, Segal credited the late right-wing provocateur with making a case for young conservatives to speak up for their beliefs, and showed them getting involved in politics is “almost cool.”
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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