The Don(ald) of a New Era: Are Workplace Immigration Raids on the Horizon?

The Place: A car wash in Los Angeles

The Time: The 1970s

The Scene: A busy afternoon at the car wash. Immigration agents burst onto the property in search of undocumented workers. The cashier—wife of the manager— yells frantically into the public address mic, “¡La migra! Immigration!” Soapy cars stand abandoned on the chain as employees scatter. Some get away. Others are not so lucky. They are detained and promptly deported. Even the deported employees, however, return to work within a week, easily reentering the U.S. through its porous southern border.