Latest news with #CasaSanJose
NBC News
4 days ago
- NBC News
Pennsylvania restaurant employees say ICE raid left a trail of destruction for the business
A local Mexican restaurant chain in Pennsylvania is trying to forge ahead a week after a worksite immigration raid left property damage at two of its storefronts and a workforce afraid to show up to their jobs, according to two employees and a witness who spoke with NBC News. It all started Aug. 7 when immigration authorities showed up at two Emiliano's Mexican Restaurant & Bar locations in the Pittsburgh area. As many as 16 workers were detained — nine worked at a location in Gibsonia, a suburb north of Pittsburgh, and seven others worked at another location in the nearby township of Cranberry. In a social media post that same afternoon, which included a video taken by a worker, the business accused agents of storming into its restaurants and leaving 'a trail of fear, confusion, and destruction' that included a burned kitchen, torn ceiling tiles, broken doors, a safe cut open by an agent and trashed food. The incident raises questions over the tactics used by authorities at this particular raid. This week, gas plumbers fixed a stove that was damaged during the raid, according to two people working at the restaurant chain. Staffing was also thin at the locations targeted by immigration authorities as employees who witnessed the raid, including those who are U.S. citizens, remain 'in shock,' they added. 'No one wants to go back, everyone is scared.' Both workers who spoke with NBC News requested to not be named to protect their family's privacy because of an ongoing federal investigation in connection with last week's events. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania declined to clarify what the investigation it is leading is about. As the immigration arrests were happening last week, someone alerted an emergency response immigration hotline run by Casa San Jose, a local nonprofit that advocates for Latino and immigrant communities. The organization quickly dispatched about 20 volunteers to both locations to act as legal observers, collect testimonies and provide support to the workers and families affected, according to Jaime Martinez, a community defense organizer at Casa San Jose. At the Gibsonia location, 'the raid actually caused a kitchen fire that agents were unable to extinguish at the beginning, which put people in danger,' Martinez told NBC News on Tuesday. Employees who spoke to Martinez and his volunteers said the stove was on when agents entered the kitchen because workers were cooking food as they prepared to open the restaurant Thursday morning. The restaurant's manager warned agents that the open burners were on, but witnesses alleged that agents didn't do anything until a fire sparked, he said. The detained employees, who had their arms and ankles shackled, were the ones who directed the agents to find the fire extinguisher and instructed them on how to use it after initially failing to operate it, according to employees who spoke to Martinez and his volunteers. 'By the time the fire department got there, the fire had already been put out with a dry chemical extinguisher, but only after this delay,' Martinez said. A spokesperson with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told NBC News in an email Thursday that the 'damage to the restaurant, including the small fire, was created by the illegal aliens themselves while they were trying to escape or hide from law enforcement officers.' According to ICE, the agents showed up at the locations in Gibsonia and Cranberry to execute federal search warrants based on information it got alleging that the restaurants were employing undocumented workers, WPXI, NBC's affiliate in Pittsburgh, reported. The agency added that the 16 people detained lack legal status and are now in ICE custody, undergoing immigration proceedings. 'But in the process of coming in with that warrant, they also terrorized the community, pointed guns at people and destroyed a local business,' Martinez said. In response to this, the ICE spokesperson told NBC News, 'All agents and officers followed established legal procedures while executing the warrants.' At the Cranberry location, Casa San Jose volunteers interviewed a worker who described seeing officers come into the restaurant, shouting 'police' and pointing their long guns at the employees. One female employee who was in the kitchen said an agent 'pointed the gun at her head' while telling her to stop cooking, according to Martinez. While she was not detained after showing proper documentation, 'this lady is now going to have to live with the trauma of having law enforcement point a gun at her head while she was at work,' Martinez said. Martinez and one of the workers who spoke with NBC News said agents lined up all of the cuffed employees and made them kneel while pointing their weapons at them. 'Agents and officers operated within established law enforcement standards in order to ensure the safety of law enforcement officers, the public and the illegal aliens themselves,' the ICE spokesperson said in response to this allegation. Last week was not the first time immigration authorities attempted to detain employees from Emiliano's Mexican Restaurant & Bar. The ICE spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that a June incident was part of 'an investigation that ultimately led to the execution of the warrants' this month. Martinez said that on a night in June, he got a call on the hotline, reporting unmarked vehicles surrounding a nearby apartment complex. When the volunteer who was dispatched arrived at the area, she noticed the vehicles were parked with their engines still running, in front and behind the restaurant. According to Martinez, it looked like federal agents inside the vehicles were waiting for workers to come out of the restaurant as it was closing. The vehicles left once TV crews arrived on the scene, he said. 'There were nine people in that restaurant on lockdown,' Martinez said, adding his group doesn't know the immigration status of those workers since it doesn't ask people about that as part of its policy. 'But you don't have to be undocumented to be afraid of getting detained.' Since launching the hotline in March, Casa San Jose has received more than 650 calls reporting more than 100 immigration detentions in the area and has dispatched volunteers in at least 70 instances, according to Martinez. In the wake of the raids at Emiliano's Mexican Restaurant and Bar locations, the community came together and collectively donated more than $133,000. The workers who spoke with NBC News said the business plans to use the funds to cover bond expenses, one month worth of salary for each employee detained and repair damage done to the restaurant.
CBS News
08-08-2025
- CBS News
ICE takes 16 people into custody at 2 Pittsburgh-area Emiliano's restaurants
A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed they took 16 people who were "illegally present in the United States" into custody Thursday from Emiliano's restaurants in Richland and Cranberry townships. A snippet of the raid inside the Richland Township location at the Richland Mall was caught on camera. Nidia Oliver raced over when she learned what was happening. She's friends with many of the workers at the business. "Somebody inside told me that they were trying to open safes and open in the office all the drawers and violating all that private property," Oliver said. A spokesperson for ICE told KDKA they executed search warrants at both the Richland Township Emiliano's location and the one on Route 19 in Cranberry Township, where people encountered a similar scene of police and unmarked vehicles. ICE said they had information that the locations "were employing illegal aliens." At each restaurant, several volunteers like Erin Riley showed up from Casa San Jose, a nonprofit that serves the greater Pittsburgh area's Latino immigrants. "They put a lot of effort into blocking off the entryway so that we could not see exactly what was happening," Riley said. KDKA captured a white van that was behind the Richland Mall leaving the premises. According to the nonprofit, ICE officers detained nine workers in Richland Township and seven in Cranberry. "It is terrible to see this happening in the United States, because all these people are honestly trying to make a living," Oliver said. On social media, Emiliano's wrote in a post that "federal agents stormed our restaurants in a show of force that went far beyond anything reasonable or humane. They didn't just detain people – they raided the heart of our business, tore through our spaces, and left behind a trail of fear, confusion, destruction. Our kitchens were flipped. Our walk-ins emptied. Food trashed. Doors broken." They went on to say, "We are standing by our team. We are working with legal experts and community partners to support the people impacted." KDKA reached out to ICE about the damage the restaurant says they caused but hasn't heard back yet. Emiliano's said they will reopen their restaurants. A timeline is unclear. ICE said the investigation is ongoing.
CBS News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Amid recent immigration enforcement actions, Pittsburgh cancels International Parade, "It's simply not safe."
Considering recent immigration enforcement actions across the country, the City of Pittsburgh has made the decision to cancel this year's International Parade and Festival, citing precautionary concerns. The City of Pittsburgh and the Mayor's Office say the event could potentially become a target for immigration enforcement activity. The decision was made proactively and not in response to any specific threats. "We remain committed to celebrating and supporting immigrant and refugee communities," the Mayor's office said in a statement. "We are actively exploring other contributions." Local advocacy groups like Casa San Jose, which supports Pittsburgh's Latino community, say they support the decision. "Unfortunately, because of the way ICE is targeting communities of color, it's simply not safe to have something like this," said Monica Ruiz, Executive Director of Casa San Jose. The parade, typically held in Downtown Pittsburgh, is a celebration of the city's cultural diversity and the many international communities that call Pittsburgh home. "The melting pot that is Pittsburgh, I'd love to see that happen," said Peter Stalter, a city resident. "But I don't want to see folks feel unsafe here in the city. I think it's important we show the diversity and culture we have in Pittsburgh." Others, like Anthony Davis, agreed with the cancellation given the current climate. "I kind of agree with it in this climate because you don't want to egg anything else on," Davis said. Ruiz emphasized that bringing together people of mixed immigration statuses could unintentionally make them vulnerable. "To have a group of people with mixed statuses coming together, I really think it would be a target," Ruiz said. "Right now, is really a time for us to look within ourselves and see where we're going to stand in this point of time in our history and make bold changes." While the International Parade and Festival will not take place this year, other events will still move forward. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs will host World Square next weekend, another celebration highlighting Pittsburgh's international communities.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Trump administration names Pittsburgh, Allegheny County as ‘sanctuary jurisdictions'
There is added pressure from the Trump administration on what it calls 'sanctuary jurisdictions.' The Department of Homeland Security released a list of states and cities considered to be in violation of federal immigration laws. Both Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are on the list. 'I think it's funny. I think it's funny we're still using this narrative that immigrants are bad,' Monica Ruiz said. She's the Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Casa San Jose. The organization works with immigrants and refugees. 'Allegheny County nor the City of Pittsburgh are doing anything that is illegal,' Ruiz said. According to the Department of Homeland Security, both are 'shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws, endangering American communities and are protecting 'dangerous criminal aliens.' Ruiz disagrees. 'These people are not criminals. These are people driving to work, taking their children to school. When you talk about trying to crack down on criminals, it's the opposite of what's happening,' she said. Channel 11 did reach out to county and city leaders. County Manager John Fournier told us they have not received any formal communication from the federal government and will have 'no further comment until we can evaluate their recommendations.' Mayor Ed Gainey says the city is not by definition a sanctuary city and added 'We honor and protect our immigrant neighbors' and 'we refuse to betray them.' The mayor also went on to say the city is pursuing every option to protect federal funding. In April, a federal judge barred the administration from denying funding to sanctuary jurisdictions. DHS did not specify what actions would be taken against the jurisdictions but did say local leaders would receive formal notification of non-compliance. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
CBS News
29-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Pittsburgh-area community leaders receive reports about 2 immigration raids
Jaime Martinez, the community defense organizer with Casa San Jose, said the non-profit organization's hotline received multiple reports on Wednesday about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the eastern part of the city. "We heard of five different detentions yesterday alone," said Martinez of Casa San Jose, which serves immigrant communities. One of the detentions happened in Wilkinsburg. Video shows a Hispanic man in handcuffs being walked by FBI agents into a van. KDKA has learned those agents were assisting the Department of Homeland Security with immigration enforcement. Wilkinsburg Mayor Dontae Comans posted about it on his Facebook page on Wednesday. "Everyone here, we're family," Comans said on Thursday. "We're Wilkinsburg, and we just want to protect each other. We have ordinances that protect everyone, no matter what part of life you're from." KDKA's Mamie Bah asked, "What do you say to people who say you shouldn't be here illegally?" "That's how this country started." Mayor Comans said. "It's all about getting that path to being a resident, and I feel like we need to help them." Comans shared photos with KDKA of federal agents in Braddock. The borough's mayor was caught off guard by the presence of agents. "I'm just unaware that they were in our neighborhoods, in our boroughs," said Mayor Delia Lennon-Winstead. "Would you cooperate with ICE agents if they reached out to you all?" Bah asked. "Being an elected official and under the seat of the mayor, I would do my best to help and cooperate," Mayor Lennon-Winstead said. In a statement to KDKA, a spokesperson for the FBI wrote, in part, "The FBI in Pittsburgh continues to provide investigative, technical, and analytical support to our partners at the Department of Homeland Security in their immigration operations all over the region as directed by the attorney general." Martinez's wish is that people in the community look out for one another. "Our community is under attack," Martinez said. "Be a good neighbor, that means being on the lookout for where ICE is, calling our hotline." Casa San Jose's emergency response line is 412-736-7167.
