Federal agents detained three workers from a family-owned Mexican restaurant in Willmar, Minn., on Jan. 15, hours after four agents ate lunch there.
It was not immediately clear what the immigration status of those detained was, or whether the people detained included the restaurant’s owners or only workers.
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 restaurant 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.
1:15Willmar, the county seat of Kandiyohi County in west-central Minnesota, is one of the most diverse cities in the state and home to Jennie-O Turkey Store. The city is filled with thousands of immigrants — Latino, Somali, Karen and more — in a county that voted nearly 65% for President Donald Trump in 2024.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to messages seeking more information on the detentions.
Last month, immigration agents also visited a Brooklyn Park cafe as customers before detaining a cook.
