ICE Raids Restaurant Owned by CBS News Anchor's Husband
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A popular restaurant owned by CBS News anchor Norah O'Donnell's husband was one of several businesses targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday.
Agents targeted Chef Geoff's, founded by Geoff Tracy, in Northwest Washington D.C., along with multiple other businesses, seeking out I-9 employment authorization documents.
Newsweek reached out to ICE via email and Chef Geoff's via contact form for comment Wednesday morning.
Why It Matters
The District of Columbia is considered a sanctuary city, meaning the heart of a federal government now focused on tougher immigration policy sits within an area where local law enforcement generally does not work with ICE agents.
Geoff Tracy and Norah O'Donnell attend the 2024 Kennedy Center Honors at The Kennedy Center on December 08, 2024 in Washington, DC. Right: A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
Geoff Tracy and Norah O'Donnell attend the 2024 Kennedy Center Honors at The Kennedy Center on December 08, 2024 in Washington, DC. Right: A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic/AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File
What To Know
Reports of planned ICE enforcement action caused concern among Washington, D.C.'s immigrant community Monday, with agents arriving at various businesses across the city Tuesday morning, including Chef Geoff's.
Fox 5 reported that U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials were at the restaurant on New Mexico Avenue at around 10:30 a.m., asking to see I-9 employee forms.
While other restaurants were targeted in the sweep, the links to O'Donnell and CBS News were not lost on social media, with some Trump supporters saying this is what they had voted for. Critics of the president suggested the raid was politically motivated given its connection to CBS News, with whom the president is currently embroiled in a lawsuit, and because no one was taken into custody. The White House has not commented.
I-9 forms are usually issued by employers during the hiring process, to ensure that an individual is legally allowed to work in the U.S. Some managers had to explain that records were not kept on site. Other businesses then reportedly moved to keep their doors closed for the rest of the day.
President Trump has been vocal in his displeasure at how D.C. is currently run, issuing an executive order aimed at the "beautification" of the capital. Immigration advocacy group CASA told ABC News it believed ICE was using this order to back its operation Tuesday.
When the president returned to the White House, the restaurant industry was among those fearful of tougher immigration policies, as a large share of its workers are migrants, and an unknown number do not have legal status.
Some business leaders have said they support stronger border security and vetting measures, while also calling on the administration to create easier legal pathways for workers.
What People Are Saying
The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, in a statement to Newsweek: "Immigrants make up a significant portion of our workforce at all levels. From dishwashers to executive chefs to restaurant owners, immigrants are irreplaceable contributors to our most celebrated restaurants and beloved neighborhood establishments. The immigrant workforce has been essential to sustaining and growing our local restaurant industry and has been a major contributor to our local economy.
"The metropolitan Washington area's restaurant industry employs over 60,000 people and generates billions in annual revenue. At a time when our economy is already fragile, losing even one staff member at a single establishment has a profound impact on the operations of a restaurant and its ability to serve patrons. Disrupting restaurant staffing across the industry can create a damaging ripple effect felt immediately throughout the entire local economy."
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, speaking to reporters Tuesday morning: "I have heard those reports, I've been getting them all morning. I am disturbed by them. It appears that ICE is at restaurants or even in neighborhoods, and it doesn't look like they're targeting criminals. It is disrupting. This is not an [Metropolitan Police Department] action, there is no MPD activity involved."
Amy Fischer, of Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid, in a statement to ABC: "If ICE wants to snatch up every single immigrant working in food service and delivery, then the entire industry will collapse."
President Trump's executive order on D.C.: "It is the policy of the United States to make the District of Columbia safe, beautiful, and prosperous by preventing crime, punishing criminals, preserving order, protecting our revered American monuments, and promoting beautification and the preservation of our history and heritage."
What's Next
ICE is yet to announce the results of its operation, with further operations across the U.S. expected to continue as the Trump administration looks to deliver on its promise of mass deportations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
38 minutes ago
Popular TikTok star leaves US after being detained
LAS VEGAS -- LAS VEGAS (AP) — Khaby Lame, the world's most popular TikTok personality with millions of followers, has left the U.S. after being detained by immigration agents in Las Vegas for allegedly overstaying his visa. The Senegalese-Italian influencer, whose legal name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was detained Friday at Harry Reid International Airport but was allowed to leave the country without a deportation order, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed in a statement. Lame arrived in the U.S. on April 30 and 'overstayed the terms of his visa,' the ICE spokesperson said. The Associated Press sent a message seeking comment Tuesday to the email address listed on Lame's Instagram account. He has not publicly commented on his detainment. His detainment and voluntary departure from the U.S. comes amid President Donald Trump's escalating crackdown on immigration, including raids in Los Angeles that sparked days of protests against ICE, as the president tests the bounds of his executive authority. A voluntary departure — which was granted to Lame — allows those facing removal from the U.S. to avoid a deportation order on their immigration record, which could prevent them from being allowed back into the U.S. for up to a decade. The 25-year-old rose to international fame during the pandemic without ever saying a word in his videos, which would show him reacting to absurdly complicated 'life hacks." He has over 162 million followers on TikTok alone. The Senegal-born influencer moved to Italy when he was an infant with his working class parents and has Italian citizenship. His internet fame quickly evolved. He signed a multi-year partnership with designer brand Hugo Boss in 2022. In January, he was appointed as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.
Bloomberg
39 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Newsom Warns Trump May Use Soldiers on Immigration Raids
Gavin Newsom is warning that Donald Trump's use of troops where state and local officials don't want them is actually a test, one the Republican president may seek to replicate across other American towns and cities as part of his mass deportation effort. 'We're getting word that he's looking to operationalize that relationship and advance significantly larger-scale ICE operations in partnership and collaboration with the National Guard,' the Democratic governor said on the podcast Pod Save America. Such a move would likely be illegal for reasons similar to those Newsom has cited in litigation to stop Trump's use of the military in Los Angeles. Legal experts have said that, as with many of Trump's emergency declarations since he took office, there is no legal basis for the Republican's move to take control of the California National Guard. State and city officials have reported that protests against Trump and his immigration raids have been largely peaceful during the day with minor skirmishes at night, while limited to a few parts of a city that spreads over several hundred square miles. With no reported deaths and few injuries—some among journalists shot with plastic rounds by local police —protests have begun spreading across the country. Demonstrations have been held in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Texas and Washington. Meanwhile, Trump's federalization of 4,000 members of California National Guard and his ordering of 700 active duty Marines to Los Angeles will reportedly cost $134 million for 60 days.
Bloomberg
39 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Militarization of Civil Protest: Napolitano on Trump, LA Protests
Janet Napolitano, former Homeland Security Secretary under the Obama Administration and former Governor of Arizona, weighs in on the Los Angeles protests and the 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 US Marines in the city and what she would have done if the President asked her to deploy these troops. Janet also talks about whether or not what is happening in Los Angeles justifies needing more ICE and Border Patrol agents. She speaks with Kailey Leinz and Joe Mathieu on the late edition of Bloomberg's "Balance of Power." (Source: Bloomberg)
