Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent outside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in Los Angeles. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided four southern California museums and an art gallery, as part of a multi-year investigation into alleged illegal smuggling of Southeast Asian and Native American artifacts. The museums targeted were the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in Santa Ana, the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena and the Mingei International Museum in San Diego. (Photo by Ted Soqui/Corbis via Getty Images)
San Diego, California – A pair of immigration enforcement actions at two well-known Italian restaurants in San Diego drew an intense response Friday evening, as federal agents were met with protests, community outrage, and political condemnation.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed it carried out worksite enforcement operations at Buona Forchetta and Enoteca Buona Forchetta, both located on Beech Street in the city’s South Park neighborhood. The actions, part of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) broader crackdown on undocumented employment, resulted in the detention of at least two workers and the temporary closure of both restaurants for the evening.
The raids quickly drew the attention of residents. More than 250 protesters assembled at the scene, chanting “Shame!” and physically confronting officers. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents reportedly used flashbang devices to disperse the crowd. Allegedly one protester threw trash at the officers. ICE agents, according to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, “faced verbal harassment, blocked roadways, and had their vehicles pounded on” during the confrontation.
“These officers took appropriate action and followed their training to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve the situation,” McLaughlin said. She noted that ICE has seen a 413% increase in assaults on its officers, attributing the spike in part to public opposition like Friday’s protest.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria expressed alarm over the federal operation. In a statement to Newsweek, he said, “What we saw undermines trust and creates fear in our community. I raised these concerns and my strong objections directly with Homeland Security Investigations leadership this morning.”
California, officially a sanctuary state, has long maintained a policy of non-cooperation with federal immigration authorities in most instances, setting the stage for tension when ICE operates in densely populated neighborhoods like South Park.
The Buona Forchetta restaurant group, which also operates a nonprofit location called Matteo For a Cause, issued a statement on Instagram: “We are still processing the deep pain and confusion caused by this situation… Buona Forchetta has always been, at its core, a family.”
Community response has been swift. Supporters have gathered outside the restaurants and flooded social media with messages of solidarity. State and local officials, including Mayor Gloria and members of California’s congressional delegation, are expected to speak at a press conference Monday at 10 a.m. PT to address the incident.
While ICE maintains that they focused the raids on employers “knowingly hiring illegal aliens,” critics argue that the visible, aggressive tactics served more to instill fear than ensure safety.
Friday’s events mark a broader re-escalation of immigration enforcement tactics under federal directives, with political, legal, and human consequences continuing to unfold in communities like San Diego.
