The Department of Homeland Security visited more than 100 businesses in the D.C. area to conduct what they called “worksite enforcement operations,” leaving bar and restaurant staff rattled.
Anxiety over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the region flared up on Monday, when reports spread that widespread immigration raids were planned in the D.C. area. On Tuesday, ICE agents visited at least nine D.C. restaurants, sources confirmed to NBC News.
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WATCH HEREOn Wednesday, DHS confirmed they visited more than 100 businesses in the D.C. area to serve notices of inspection. They said they made no arrests.
Still, the visits sparked anxiety, business owners said.
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SIGN UP “In the industry, there’s a lot of fear. There’s a lot of worry,” said Phil Coppage, the owner of Cynthia, on H Street NE.
Happy hour took on a different tone on Wednesday, after DHS agents requested employment records.
“I was surprised that anyone knew we existed,” Coppage said.
“They asked me to sign. I refused. They didn’t seem that bothered by it,” he said.
In the Spring Valley area, the restaurant Millie’s shared video of seven ICE and DHS agents visiting on Tuesday.
Hours later, during lunch, agents visited Pupatella in Dupont Circle with similar requests. They asked the general manager for I-9 paperwork on employees, which verifies employees are eligible to work in the U.S., vice president Natasha Neely said.
Since they did not have a warrant, managers said agents would have to come back. The business has nothing to hide, Neely said.
“It kind of rattled the team at the restaurants a little bit. It’s always unnerving when anyone shows up at a location with any type of uniform,” she said.
“I am happy to say that our teams were fully prepared,” she added.
What DHS said businesses should expect
More DHS visits are on the way. DHS said in a statement Wednesday that ICE and DHS are conducting “worksite enforcement operations” nationwide.
News4 saw notices provided to two businesses warning that agents will return.
“It’s very clearly the start of a process,” the owner of Cynthia said. “We’re working through [it] with our attorneys. But it’s not by any means sort of like the end. It’s really just the beginning.”
‘We want our workers to feel comfortable’
The president and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, Shawn Townsend, said the organization has worked with restaurant owners for months so they know their rights.
“We want our workers to feel comfortable and safe coming to work,” he said.
Restaurant owners questioned DHS’ approach, Townsend said.
“The nature of the visit is fair, but what I hear from most operators is that this could have been done in a different way,” he said.
Under the law, he said, businesses like Cynthia typically have at least three days to provide the appropriate records.
It wasn’t clear why these restaurants were targeted. A DHS official told NBC News the visits were not random and were done on a case-by-case basis.
