8 taken into custody during immigration enforcement raid at Beaver County Mexican restaurant
Eight people were taken into custody after an immigration enforcement raid at 1942 Tacos & Tequila, a popular Mexican restaurant in Beaver County, a spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed on Friday.
Multiple federal agencies, including ICE, the FBI and ATF, executed a search warrant at the restaurant in Rochester on Wednesday. Photos showed federal agents and a white van with blacked-out windows outside the establishment.
An ICE spokesperson said the search was part of "an ongoing criminal investigation into hiring and employment" of people who are in the country illegally. ICE said eight people were taken into custody for violating U.S. immigration law.
The restaurant was closed on Wednesday but back open on Thursday. While details had been limited until ICE released its statement on Friday, customers said they were surprised by the news.
"If they were personally really illegally here, then I don't have a problem with them going. But they were amazing. We were just in there, there's no same people in there, it's all new people," said customer Donna Bentler.
Congressman Chris Deluzio's office told KDKA-TV that it first heard about the raid from concerned community members. His office said it was working to get answers from federal agencies.
The ICE spokesperson declined to release further details, citing an ongoing investigation.
"It's mind-boggling, to be honest with you," said customer Tiffany Mcallister. "I mean, I understand they have certain criteria or different things for certain situations, but I've never had any problems with any of them."
1942 Tacos & Tequila has three locations in Rochester, Cleveland and Newell, West Virginia.
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