A family-run Mexican restaurant in Minnesota is at the center of a disturbing incident after ICE agents reportedly returned hours after eating there and detained multiple workers who had served them.
According to a report from the Minnesota Star Tribune, four Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents went to El Tapatio in Willmar, Minnesota, on Wednesday for lunch, which alarmed the staff. Then they returned to apprehend some of the employees.
After the restaurant closed, witnesses told the Star Tribune that ICE agents followed workers’ vehicles and carried out arrests around 8:30 p.m., near Willmar Middle School and a nearby Lutheran church. People who saw the arrests said bystanders tried to intervene by blowing whistles and yelling at agents.
At least three restaurant workers were reportedly detained. It remains unclear whether any of those arrested were owners, and officials have not publicly detailed the reason for the enforcement action.
The Department of Homeland Security did not answer specific questions from reporters about who was arrested or what prompted the arrests, according to multiple outlets.
The incident is unfolding amid heightened immigration enforcement activity in Minnesota. Several immigrant-owned restaurants in the state have recently described increased federal presence around their businesses, sparking fear among workers and customers and, in some cases, forcing owners to adjust operations.
In St. Paul, the owner of El Burrito Mercado told CNN that agents had been repeatedly circling her business in unmarked vehicles, which she explained had frightened employees and customers. Another restaurateur, the owner of Homi, said he shut down dine-in service and switched to pickup-only because he no longer felt safe keeping the restaurant operating normally.
The growing tension has also led some restaurant owners and communities to more openly push back. In recent days, multiple incidents have been reported where restaurant staff and patrons confronted agents attempting to enter businesses, demanding warrants or ordering them to leave.