Anxiety and anger ran through the D.C. restaurant community on Tuesday as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents visited several restaurants in the District.
Agents visited at least nine restaurants in D.C., sources tell NBC News.
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WATCH HERED.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called reports of immigration agents in restaurants disturbing.
“It appears that ICE is at restaurants or even in neighborhoods, and it doesn't look like they’re targeting criminals, and so it is disrupting,” Bowser said. “I want to be clear, this is not an [Metropolitan Police Department] action, no MPD activity involved.”
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SIGN UP In some cases, agents requested documents to verify employees’ eligibility to work in the U.S.
One day after local immigrant advocates shared warnings, surveillance video showed federal agents at Millie’s, a popular restaurant in Northwest D.C.'s Spring Valley neighborhood. It was an apparent widespread immigration enforcement operation.
“It’s really crazy, you know it kind of feels like we’re not in the U.S.,” said Bo Blair, the owner of Millie’s, a popular restaurant in Northwest’s Spring Valley neighborhood. “That’s just was shocking to everybody today.”
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Blair walked News4 through how it all went down. Security cameras recorded the agents coming in Tuesday morning.
“It seemed pretty unnecessary, and that scared people,” Blair said. “Is this just a scare tactic? Like, I don’t really see the purpose in it.”
Blair said the agents identified themselves as ICE and Homeland Security.
In the video, the manager can be seen speaking with the agents, who asked to speak with employees and review I-9 forms to verify eligibility to work. The manager refused, saying they keep those records off-site, and the agents left a form saying they have until May 12 to turn the documents over.
Blair said two employees were so shaken up they had to leave.
“I think it’s pretty absurd,” Blair said. “Immigrants are the backbone of not only the restaurant industry, but a lot of other industries in this country. Without immigrants, there are no restaurants.”
Millie's wasn't the only restaurant on the radar of immigration officials. Sources tell NBC News that agents showed up at Chef Geoff's, not far from Spring Valley; Officina at The Wharf, Jaleo in Chinatown, Santa Rosa Taqueria on Capitol Hill; Pupatella in Dupont Circle; Call Your Mother's location on Georgia Avenue and Clyde's of Georgetown.
Some restaurateurs received paperwork giving advance notice of inspection for employee I-9 forms, while others reported verbal warnings that agents would be back in three days.
Blair said Millie's has been preparing for this for months by informing workers about their rights, but now some of his employees are scared to come to work, putting more pressure on small business owners who are already having a tough time.
“It’s like one thing after another to be honest. We have COVID, which was like the worst thing ever,” Blair said. “Now we’re under threat from ICE and Homeland Security. I mean it’s just like that inflation, it just keeps going and going, and the restaurant industry is not easy.”
According to those forms, agents will be back Monday to check employment authorization records.
