ICE Agents Arrest Workers From Mexican Restaurant Where They Just Ate

AP Photo/John Locher

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ate at a Mexican restaurant in Minnesota on Wednesday, before arresting three of its employees who had just closed up the establishment for the evening.

The arrests happened in Willmar, which is about two hours from Minneapolis, where ICE and Border Patrol have ramped up activities.

On Thursday, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported:

An eyewitness who declined to give a name for fear of retribution, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that four ICE agents sat in a booth for a meal at El Tapatio a little before 3 p.m. Staff at the restaurant were frightened, said the eyewitness, who shared pictures from the restaurant as well as video of the arrest.

The arrest happened around 8:30 p.m. near a Lutheran church and Willmar Middle School as agents followed the workers after they closed up for the night. A handful of bystanders blew whistles and shouted at agents as they detained the people. “Would your mama be proud of you right now?” one of the bystanders asked.

The Star Tribune said the immigration status of the arrestees was unclear and added that the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to inquiries seeking information about the arrests.

In December, ICE agents in Brooklyn Park pretended to be customers at a coffee shop and lied to employees by telling them a car had been hit in the parking lot. When the workers went outside, one of them was arrested and whisked away.

ICE has been under intense scrutiny over its operations. Last week, agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good as she attempted to drive away from officers. Multiple polls show a majority of Americans do not believe the shooting was justified. A CNN poll showed that 51% of Americans think ICE is making cities less safe, while just 31% say more safe. A Quinnipiac survey found that 57% of voters disapprove of the way ICE is operating.

White House Border Czar Tom Homan said on Thursday that ICE needs “to be better at messaging.”

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