Federal immigration agents detained the resident manager of a Mexican restaurant in Willmar, Minnesota, after agents visited the business for a meal earlier the same day, according to local reporting and statements from officials.
Four Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents ate lunch at El Tapatio on January 14, a family-owned Mexican restaurant in Willmar—about 95 miles west of Minneapolis—according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Why It Matters
In December, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale interior immigration enforcement initiative that has mobilized thousands of federal agents—including personnel from ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Border Patrol—for concentrated operations in Minnesota’s Twin Cities area and elsewhere in the Democratic-run state.
DHS says the effort targets migrants with serious criminal records and immigration violations, describing it as one of the largest domestic deployments of immigration enforcement personnel in recent U.S. history. Critics argue the operation reflects the Trump administration’s hard-line deportation approach and raises concerns about aggressive enforcement tactics.
What To Know
“ICE officers conducted surveillance of a target, Jose Rosario Gomez Gallardo an illegal alien from Mexico,” Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, told Newsweek.
The statement did not say whether agents were focused on restaurant staff or owners. However, Gomez Gallardo is listed as the restaurant’s resident manager in 2016 records reviewed by Newsweek, and a business filing dated January 14 lists Jose Gomez as the registered agent.
“Officers observed that the target’s vehicle was outside of a local business and positively identified him as the target while inside the business,” McLaughlin said.
“Following the positive identification of the target, officers then conducted a vehicle stop later in the day and apprehended the target and two additional illegal aliens who were in the car, including one who had a final order of removal from an immigration judge,” she added.
The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that the arrests occurred around 8:30 p.m. near a Lutheran church and Willmar Middle School, after ICE agents followed restaurant staff as they closed for the night. The outlet reported that several bystanders blew whistles and shouted at officers, with one person asking, “Would your mama be proud of you right now?”
After the earlier ICE visit, El Tapatio closed early, and agents later detained multiple people—including owners and another worker—according to WCCO. A 20-year-old family member told the outlet his parents own the business and said he planned to reopen the restaurant the next day.
Willmar, located in Kandiyohi County in central Minnesota, has an estimated population of about 21,000 based on the 2020 census. The city is diverse, with roughly 40 percent identifying as people of color and about one-third reporting Hispanic heritage.
Minnesota has drawn national attention in recent weeks amid a major fraud scandal and the federal deployment of immigration officials. On January 7, ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, sparking protests nationwide.
Demonstrators in Minnesota and across the U.S. have rallied under slogans including “Justice for Renee Good,” arguing the videos circulating online show an unjustified use of force against an unarmed woman.
The Trump administration has defended the agent’s actions, calling Good a “domestic terrorist” and saying the shooting was in self-defense—claims that have been sharply criticized by civil rights advocates and progressives.
Local leaders, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, have disputed the federal account, saying widely shared video conflicts with claims that Good’s vehicle posed a deadly threat.
What People Are Saying
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, wrote on X: “There are no words. ICE agents ate lunch at a small local Mexican restaurant in Minnesota, enjoyed their meal, then came back later that night as the restaurant was closing down and arrested the people who had served them.”
Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino responded: “Illegal aliens should utilize the CBP Home app. or else they are subject to arrest.”
