U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were conducting "worksite enforcement operations" at a popular Italian restaurant in San Diego's South Park neighborhood on Friday, the federal agency confirmed to NBC 7.
The operations happened at Buona Forchetta and Enoteca Buona Forchetta restaurants, according to ICE spokesperson Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe.
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WATCH HEREWitnesses say authorities arrived at the restaurant on Beech Street just after 4 p.m. Video from the scene shows a large crowd of people surrounding several law enforcement officers outside the location.
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SIGN UP "When I arrived, I saw that the workers were all sitting in chairs. They had plastic handcuffs around them," activist Pedro Rios with the American Friends Service Committee said. "The ones that they took out, they not only placed handcuffs on them, but they also put chains on their legs as they were boarded onto the vehicles that transported them out of the area."
The restaurant manager told NBC 7 at least two workers were detained and that both businesses were closed when the operation happened.
A sign in front of the restaurant just before 7 p.m. said that the business was closed. It was unclear when it would reopen.
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San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, who represents District 3, which includes the South Park neighborhood, said he was "deeply troubled" by the incident.
"People have a right to due process," Whitburn said in a statement released on X on Friday night. "Our neighbors who are immigrants are vital to the fabric of our city, and they deserve to live without fear or intimidation. San Diego must remain a city where fairness, humanity, and the rule of law prevail."
The San Diego Police Department told NBC 7 that ICE and Homeland Security Investigations requested the department's assistance for "urgent cover."
"They left before our arrival," SDPD Lt. Daniel Meyer said. "We were not involved in the incident."
ICE said the investigation is ongoing.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information arrives.
