A group of immigration agents stopped for lunch at a family-owned Mexican restaurant in Minnesota — then came back hours later and detained employees after closing time.
According to reports from the Minnesota Star Tribune and WCCO, four Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents sat in a booth at El Tapatio in Willmar — about 95 miles outside Minneapolis — just before 3 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Jan. 14. The Star Tribune reported that eyewitnesses said staff appeared fearful while the agents ate.
By around 8:30 p.m., the agents reportedly followed employees after the restaurant closed and later detained individuals near a local church and Willmar Middle School.
Bystanders who witnessed the arrests reacted loudly, the Star Tribune reported. Some blew whistles as one person shouted, “Would your mama be proud of you right now?”
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that ICE officers were “[conducting] surveillance of a target” that day, identifying the person as Jose Rosario Gomez Gallardo.
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“Officers observed that the target’s vehicle was outside of a local business and positively identified him as the target while inside the business,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote in part.
McLaughlin said agents later conducted a vehicle stop, detaining “the target” along with two other people in the car — “including one who had a final order of removal from an immigration judge.”
El Tapatio has since closed its doors, according to WCCO, and the outlet reported that other businesses in the diverse city have done the same.
One local resident told the outlet she visited the restaurant to show support.
“Just wanted to make sure everything was okay, and apparently it’s not because they’re closed now,” said Brentt Fees. Fees added that his employer has lost 75% of its business since the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown began in Minnesota’s Twin Cities.
Tensions have continued to rise between Minnesota residents and ICE agents amid the ongoing immigration crackdowns and several violent encounters, including the shooting death of Renee Good by an ICE agent, Jonathan Ross, in Minneapolis and the shooting of a man by an ICE agent in North Minneapolis one week later.
Local residents have held protests in the wake of these incidents, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has been outspoken about urging federal agents to leave the city. During a press conference this week, Frey said the city had filed litigation to end ICE’s deployment.
“We cannot be at a place right now in America where we have two governmental entities that are literally fighting one another,” Frey said.
After the second shooting, the City of Minneapolis issued a statement on X, saying, “We understand there is anger. We ask the public to remain calm.”
In a follow-up post, the city addressed ICE directly: “The City of Minneapolis again demands that ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand by our immigrant and refugee communities — know that you have our full support.”
