A Boston University student, who claimed credit for reporting car wash workers to immigration authorities, recently received praise from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) but drew the anger of his fellow students.
Zac Segal, president of the university’s College Republicans club, indicated he had “been calling ICE for months” concerning workers at the Allston Car Wash, located near the university campus. He shared an article detailing the arrest of nine workers on November 4.
“This week they finally responded to my request to detain these criminals,” he posted on X on November 7. He added, “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!”
Todd Pomerleau, the attorney representing the Allston Car Wash workers, stated that his clients possessed valid work permits but were unable to retrieve them from the locker room prior to their detention. Pomerleau mentioned in a statement that the car wash was subjected to a raid involving “military-style” vehicles and armed, masked agents, according to the . He also noted that one of the arrested individuals had resided in the United States for three decades.
Segal stated he had been subjected to death threats in response to his online post. He also reposted, without additional commentary, messages from other Boston University students who referred to him as a “racist,” “fascist,” and a “Neo-Nazi.”
The BU College Democrats denounced Segal’s conduct and declared that they would not collaborate with the university’s College Republicans club for “the foreseeable future.”
Meanwhile, the College Republicans of America, the national group for Republican clubs, praised Segal and called for other young Republicans to follow his lead.
“We call on all College Republicans to follow in the lead of this great patriot and notify their local ICE forces of any suspected illegal activity in their communities immediately,” Martin Bertao, the national group’s president, said in a statement to the New York Times.
The dispute regarding the raid, both on Boston University’s campus and more broadly, underscored the significant political rift between Democrats and Republicans concerning President Donald Trump’s stringent deportation policies.
Segal, who did not respond to TIME’s request for comment, defended his actions in a statement.
“I reported suspicious activity to law enforcement because that is what any American should do. My intention was simple: to protect my community and uphold the rule of law,” he stated.
He further added, “Extremists have circulated my personal details online and sent death threats. No matter who you are or what you believe, threats and intimidation are unacceptable and should be condemned by everyone.”
A common misconception was that Segal was British, stemming from a biography on the university’s athletics website which indicated he was born in the United Kingdom. However, Segal clarified in his Friday post that he was born in Florida and grew up in the U.K.
The official DHS account on X responded to Segal’s post with one word: “.”
However, the DHS informed TIME that the raid was not initiated based on Segal’s tip.
In an emailed statement, DHS spokesperson Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin asserted, “The operation was highly targeted and relied on law enforcement intelligence—not your silly rumor.”