Federal immigration agents took 16 workers into custody at two Mexican restaurants in Allegheny and Butler counties on Thursday.
Our crews on scene at Emiliano’s Mexican Restaurant and Bar on Route 8 in Richland Township saw police tape surrounding the restaurant.
Witnesses said several unmarked police cars surrounded the restaurant before armed and masked agents went inside. They say it was an emotional scene.
At the Cranberry Township location earlier, viewer photos show police tape up as well, and nearly a dozen law enforcement vehicles in front of the restaurant. When our crews arrived, they found a “closed” sign on the front door.
According to an ICE spokesperson, federal agents executed federal court-authorized search warrants after they got information that the Emiliano’s Mexican Restaurant and Bar locations in both Gibsonia and Cranberry Township were employing “illegal aliens.”
The agency said a total of 16 people who were in the U.S. illegally were taken by ICE and placed into immigration proceedings.
The Gibsonia location reportedly had 9 employees detained, and the Cranberry Township location had 7 employees.
Jaime Martinez is with the organization, Casa San Jose, which had dozens of volunteers show up to show their support.
“What we are continuing to see is an affront to human dignity. We are seeing undue force, potential violence, people with side arms - people that don’t want to identify themselves wearing masks,” Martizen said.
Emiliano’s posted a video of inside the Richland Township location to its Facebook page after the raid, saying I.C.E. “stormed” their restaurants. You can read their full post below:
“What you saw on the news doesn’t tell the full story.
“On Wednesday, 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, and destruction.
“Our kitchens were flipped. Our walk-ins emptied. Food trashed. Doors broken. Lives shattered.
“But what they can’t destroy is who we are.
“At Emiliano’s, we’ve always been more than a restaurant. We’re a family — and like many restaurants in this country, we are built on the backs of immigrants. We will not apologize for that.
“We are standing by our team. We are working with legal experts and community partners to support the people impacted. And we will not stay silent while fear and intimidation tear through our community.
“We will reopen. We will rebuild. And we will keep feeding this city with love, dignity, and purpose.
“If you want to help, we’ll be sharing ways to support affected families and contribute to our recovery.
“Thank you for standing with us. — The Emiliano’s Family“
The FBI sent Channel 11 the following statement to Channel 11:
“The FBI was conducting immigration enforcement operations in the Gibsonia area in support of and alongside our partners at the Department of Homeland Security.
“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.”
Channel 11 checked with the other Pittsburgh-area Emiliano’s locations on Thursday. The South Side store was closed, but had a sign that it was due to a water outage. The Bethel Park location remained open.
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