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)
Boston, Massachusetts – The clash between local and federal officials over immigration enforcement intensified this week after a dramatic ICE raid at a San Diego restaurant drew outrage from residents and condemnation from city leadership.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria issued a sharply worded rebuke of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the operation, which took place Friday evening at Buona Forchetta, a popular Italian eatery in the city’s South Park neighborhood. ICE agents, clad in tactical gear and masks, arrived just before the dinner rush, setting off flash-bang grenades and detaining four individuals suspected of immigration violations.
The raid unfolded amid a renewed push by President Donald Trump to fulfill his pledge of mass deportations in a potential second term. ICE officials have dramatically increased enforcement actions nationwide, with Acting Director Todd Lyons announcing nearly 1,500 arrests in the Northeast during a month-long “surge operation.” Lyons defended the agency’s tactics, insisting agents must wear masks due to escalating threats and online harassment.
“I’m sorry if people are offended,” Lyons said at a press conference in Boston. “But I’m not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line, their family on the line because people don’t like what immigration enforcement is.”
When pressed about the San Diego raid and Gloria’s comments, Lyons grew visibly frustrated. “Is the problem really the masks—Or is anyone upset about the fact that ICE officers’ families were labeled terrorists?” he asked.
The political response to the Buona Forchetta raid reflects the larger national divide over immigration policy. While Trump administration officials portray the stepped-up arrests as necessary to protect communities, local leaders in cities like San Diego argue they are disruptive, overly aggressive, and disproportionately target law-abiding residents.
Gloria, a Democrat and the city’s first openly gay and Latino mayor, accused ICE of undermining trust between immigrant communities and local government.
ICE maintains that the raid was justified, citing criminal search warrants related to alleged illegal hiring practices. The agency also warned that public interference during operations—such as the crowd that gathered outside Buona Forchetta—can endanger both law enforcement and civilians.
As enforcement actions escalate nationwide, the events in San Diego have become a flashpoint in the ongoing battle between local sanctuary policies and federal immigration crackdowns—one now entering its most confrontational phase yet.
