In an Instagram publish on Saturday, Democrat San Diego Metropolis Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera blasted ICE as “terrorists” and referred to as for “combating again” after an immigration raid on two places of the favored Italian restaurant Buona Forchetta within the South Park neighborhood Friday night. Restaurant staffers and managers had been reported detained in plastic handcuffs whereas brokers carried out the raid.
ICE brokers deployed flashbang grenades after an indignant mob took to the road to protest the raid and block ICE automobiles. A number of restaurant employees had been reported to have been arrested. There are not any stories of protesters being arrested.
Video of protesters blocking an ICE automobile leading to flashbangs getting used:
That is the way it’s performed!
FRIDAY: South Park, San Diego, neighbors weren’t having it. When ICE rolled up on an Italian restaurant in unmarked automobiles and began grabbing employees, the neighborhood hit the streets.
(Sound up) pic.twitter.com/HYMnoiD5Z2— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) May 31, 2025
Report by KFMB-TV:
Councilman Elo-Rivera:
Have a look at this photograph.
This isn’t a conflict zone—it’s a neighborhood in our metropolis.
In San Diego, they’ve focused dad and mom dropping off their youngsters in school, folks following the legislation inside courthouses, and employees simply doing their jobs at native eating places.
These are federal brokers finishing up raids on below the false pretense of “security.”
This isn’t security. It’s state-sponsored terrorism.
And anybody who cares about freedom—and true security—needs to be combating again.
Display screen picture captured by Fox Information reporter Invoice Melugin in case of deletion:
NEW: San Diego Democrat metropolis councilman @SeanEloRivera calls ICE “terrorists” in an Instagram publish, alleging they’re committing “state-sponsored terrorism”, & urging the general public to “battle again”.
This, after @GovTimWalz & Congressman @danielsgoldman each referred to as ICE the “Gestapo”. pic.twitter.com/taR8GT03jC
— Invoice Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 31, 2025
Elo-Rivera posted a display picture from a SanDiegoVille video posted to Instagram (which was stolen and went viral). SanDiegoVille additionally revealed an in depth report.
Brokers with Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI), a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), carried out simultaneous raids at two Buona Forchetta places on the 3000 block of Beech Road – the principle Buona Forchetta restaurant and Enoteca Buona Forchetta. Based on ICE, the motion was a part of two “worksite enforcement operations.” The particular motive for the enforcement has not been disclosed, because the investigation stays ongoing.
Witnesses reported that brokers stormed each eating places simply earlier than 6pm, deploying flash bang grenades to disperse patrons and staff. No less than a dozen closely armed brokers in camouflage uniforms, helmets, and tactical vests surrounded the eating places and started detaining workers members. Staff had been handcuffed and their identification checked on web site. All staff working on the time of the raid had been reportedly taken into custody.
…San Diego Police Division confirmed it was referred to as in by HSI to help with crowd management as a result of giant and emotional gathering that shortly shaped exterior the eating places. SDPD said it didn’t take part within the federal operation itself. No accidents have been reported.
The usage of tactical power and flash bangs throughout dinner service at two extremely seen neighborhood eating places has sparked backlash all through the neighborhood. Social media shortly full of outrage and calls for for transparency as movies and first-hand accounts circulated extensively. Civil rights advocates and hospitality leaders are questioning the need and timing of such high-profile enforcement actions.
Including to the intrigue are new neighborhood observations and hypothesis that increase additional questions. Simply sooner or later earlier than the raid, three marked SDPD automobiles had been reportedly seen exterior Matteo – a totally not-for-profit, charity-driven restaurant in South Park additionally owned by the Buona Forchetta group – the place officers questioned workers a couple of tattooed male worker who had labored that day or the day prior. The go to left some patrons uneasy and is now being seen in hindsight as doubtlessly related.
A Homeland Safety Investigations particular agent, who didn’t need to be recognized, confirmed the arrests.
“We’re executing a legal search warrant on the location that we simply accomplished, so we’re getting out,” the agent mentioned.
The restaurant’s assistant supervisor and supervisor declined to remark to KPBS.
Claire Cody, a employee at Buona Forchetta, mentioned she arrived for work at 4:30 p.m. and noticed automobiles and males in U.S. Homeland Safety uniforms. Cody was in tears whereas describing the incident.
“Ten (federal brokers) got here into a part of our restaurant. And so they handcuffed my supervisor, saying they’ve a search warrant, and I simply began crying as a result of I knew what was occurring,” Cody mentioned.
Cody mentioned “about three or 4” staff had been arrested by federal brokers.
..At one level, a gaggle blocked an unmarked automobile carrying brokers from leaving the intersection at thirtieth and Beech Streets. After activating the sirens a number of instances with out success, brokers used what gave the impression to be a smoke system to disperse the gang.
ICE assertion on the raid by Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe, Deputy Press Secretary, Southwest Group, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement can verify that ICE San Diego carried out two worksite enforcement operations at Buona Forchetta and Enoteca Buona Forchetta Eating places in San Diego, Ca. As that is an ongoing investigation, we’ve no additional releasable data at the moment.”
