ICE agents ate lunch at Mexican restaurant and then detained employees after
A group of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who ate at a Mexican restaurant in Minnesota waited for the employees to close up so they could arrest them.
The Minnesota Star Tribune and WCCO reported that four ICE officers were having lunch at El Tapatio in Willmar, Minnesota at around 3pm local time on 14 January.
Reports suggest that eyewitnesses were fearful when the agents sat together in a booth at the family-owned Mexican restaurant.
When staff closed the eatery by 8:30pm, four agents reportedly followed the employees and detained them near Willmar Middle School.
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One bystander allegedly asked the agents: "Would your mama be proud of you right now?" when they carried out the arrest, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
The Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security said they were targeting 'an illegal alien from Mexico'.
"Officers observed that the target's vehicle was outside of a local business and positively identified him as the target while inside the business," Tricia McLaughli told WCCO.
"Following the positive identification of the target, officers then conducted a vehicle stop later in the day and apprehended the target and two additional illegal aliens who were in the car, including one who had a final order of removal from an immigration judge."
A 20-year-old, whose parents own the restaurant and are reportedly detained, says the business will reopen under his leadership.
Meanwhile, Abdullahi Mohamed of Willmar said to the outlet that ICE have left the community of just over 21,000 people on edge.
"You have families that are scared for their life. People refusing to come out of their house," Mohamed said.
"I've seen with my two eyes ICE detaining people."
Resident Brentt Fees added: "They detained someone just across the street where I was working.
"I just wanted to make sure everything is okay. And apparently it's not because they're closed now."
Fees claimed his employer has lost 75 percent of its business since the ICE crackdown began in Minnesota's Twin Cities.
The anger comes after the death of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis, some 95 miles away from El Tapatio. A week after Renee Good was shot, a Venezuelan man was also shot by an ICE agent in North Minneapolis after agents were conducting a traffic stop. The man's identity still remains unknown.
"The City of Minneapolis again demands that ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand by our immigrant and refugee communities — know that you have our full support," the City of Minneapolis said after the second shooting.
LADbible Group has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for additional comment.
ICE in Minnesota: a timeline of events
Dec 2025: Trump sends thousands of ICE agents to Minneapolis
In late December 2025, with reports emerging around January 6 (the five-year anniversary of the Capitol Riots), President Donald Trump sent around 2,000 ICE agents into Minneapolis to crack down on immigration.
This was reportedly due to, more specifically, allegations of fraud aimed at Somalian residents.
Jan 7: ICE agent Jonathan Ross kills Renee Good
On January 7, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed mother-of-three Renee Good at the scene of an ICE raid in southern Minnesota. Good’s car was stopped sideways, in what is believed to have been an attempt to block ICE agents from passing.
As Good went to reverse her vehicle away from the agents, Ross shot her at least two times, once in the face. Good died at the scene.
Jan 7: Protests break out in Minneapolis
Following the killing of Renee Good, protests broke out in Minneapolis that same night. Protests are still ongoing at the time of writing (January 19), and tensions remain high in the twin cities.
Jan 12: Minnesota sues the Trump administration
On January 12, the state of Minnesota filed a motion in federal court to sue the Trump administration in an attempt to block the surge of ICE agents. Minnesota's Attorney General Keith Ellison said immigration operations have caused ‘chaos and violence’ for millions of people and disrupted their lives.
Jan 13: ICE drags disabled woman from car
On January 13, on a street in Minnesota City, ICE agents were caught on camera dragging an unknown disabled woman from her car. This happened just two blocks from where Good was shot.
The woman shouted at the time: “I’ve been beat up by police before. I’m disabled, I’m trying to go to the doctor up there, that’s why I couldn’t move. I am an autistic disabled person, I’m trying to go to the doctor.”
The Independent reports that ‘tear gas, flash bang grenades and pepper balls were also fired towards the protesters during the stand-off’.
Jan 14: Venezuelan man shot by ICE
A Venezuelan man was shot in the leg by ICE officers on January 14 during an alleged traffic stop. It’s been reported that during the traffic stop, the officer was attacked by another individual in the car with a ‘snow shovel and broom handle’, which is allegedly why they opened fire on two individuals. The man who was shot has not yet been identified.
Jan 15: Trump threatens insurrection
Trump has not reacted well to the protests and took to Truth Social to threaten Minnesota with insurrection. On January 15, he said: “If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT,.”
Jan 18: 1,500 US troops on standby for deployment
On January 18, officials confirmed that 1,500 soldiers are on standby for deployment to Minneapolis. The troops are currently in Alaska, and no official word has been given to send them in as of yet.
Minnesota officials have asked protesters to stay ‘peaceful’ and ‘orderly’. This comes after Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis told ICE to ‘get the f*ck out’.
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Business, Food And Drink
Anish Vij