Federal immigration agents ate lunch at a small Mexican restaurant in Minnesota before later detaining its owners.
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, four U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents sat down for a meal at El Tapatio in Willmar on Wednesday, January 14.
An eyewitness told the newspaper that restaurant staff appeared frightened by the agents’ presence when they arrived shortly before 3 p.m.
Highlights
- ICE agents ate lunch at El Tapatio in Minnesota before detaining the restaurant’s owners hours later after surveillance.
- Three people linked to the restaurant, including owners and a dishwasher, were arrested near a church and school at night.
- Community members expressed fear and frustration as immigration raids have hurt local businesses and spread anxiety.
ICE agents dined at a restaurant before returning to arrest its owners
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Several hours later, after the restaurant had closed early for the night, agents detained three people connected to the business.
Witnesses cited by the Star Tribune said the arrests took place around 8:30 p.m. near a Lutheran church and Willmar Middle School after agents followed the workers.
A small group of bystanders shouted at the agents and blew whistles as the detentions unfolded, with one person questioning, “Would your mama be proud of you right now?”
WCCO later reported that those detained included the restaurant’s owners and a dishwasher.
A 20-year-old man who identified himself as the owner’s son told the outlet that he planned to reopen the restaurant under his leadership that weekend.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to WCCO that the agents had been conducting surveillance on a specific target.
According to the agency, officers identified “an illegal alien from Mexico” inside the business earlier that day, then conducted a vehicle stop later and detained the target along with two other people in the car, one of whom had a final order of removal from an immigration judge.
Residents interviewed by WCCO described fear spreading through the community as immigration arrests have shuttered restaurants and disrupted daily life.
Image credits: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Brentt Fees, who made his way to El Tapatio in solidarity, said, “Just wanted to make sure everything was OK, and apparently, it’s not because they’re closed now.”
He also told WCCO that since Trump’s immigration crackdown in the state, the liquor store he works at has lost 75% of its business.
Similarly, resident Abdullahi Mohamed said, “You have families that are scared for their life. People refusing to come out of their house.”
It comes as tensions between Minnesotans and ICE agents have continued to grow following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good and the shooting of a man one week later.
Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on January 7 as she attempted to drive away from the scene of an alleged protest in Minneapolis.
Tensions between ICE and Minnesotans continue to rise
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Just one week later in the city, a Venezuelan man described as an “illegal alien” by the DHS was shot in the leg as agents arrested him. The DHS said the man was shot after allegedly hitting an agent with a shovel or broomstick.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have both called on ICE to leave the state.
In a statement last week, Walz said, “I am making a direct appeal to the President: Let’s turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are.
“And an appeal to Minnesotans: I know this is scary. We can–we must–speak out loudly, urgently, but also peacefully. We cannot fan the flames of chaos. That’s what he wants.”
Sources within the DOJ told CNN last week that the department is investigating Walz and Frey for possible obstruction of federal law enforcement.
Both have denounced the reported investigation, with Frey describing it as an intimidation tactic.
“This is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, local law enforcement, and residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our city. I will not be intimidated. My focus remains where it’s always been: keeping our city safe,” he wrote on X.
“America depends on leaders that use integrity and the rule of law as the guideposts for governance. Neither our city nor our country will succumb to this fear. We stand rock solid.”
Walz added, “Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic.
“The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.”