Immigration Bust Forces Restaurants to Close

Posted: 11:42 PM Jun 11, 2008
Last Updated: 11:42 PM Jun 11, 2008
Reporter: Liza Park

If you tried to have lunch or dinner at one of a few Mexican restaurants in Tallahassee on Wednesday, you were greeted by a closed sign.
That's because a few Mexican restaurants in Tallahassee were targeted in a federal sting that took several illegal immigrants into custody.
Federa law enforcement officials haven't confirmed an exact number but we know at least three Mexican restaurants in Tallahassee were affected in this sting.
The Los Amigos Restaurants on Capital Circle and in Woodville as well as the Los Compadres Restaurant on North Monroe in Tallahassee closed shop on Wednesday.
Witnesses say at about 11:30 this morning... they knew it wasn't business as usual at these restaurants.
Lynn Freeman saw the commotion as he was driving on Capital Circle.
"Tw Tallahassee police cars had the parking lot blocked off and I noticed a police officer standing in the front of the restaurant and then I noticed a white van that had the Homeland Security logo on it," says Lynn.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, known as ICE confirms they coducted a targeted enforcement operation in Tallahassee and executed several criminal search warrants.
But not all Mexican restaurants in the Capital City were part of the sting.
The other Los Compadres Restaurant on Pensacola Street was bustling with business Wednesday night.
This Los compadres has a different owner than the one closed on North Monroe, and the manager says he has nothing to worry about.
The owner of Old Mexico Rashed Khan says he's not worried either and is happy to laws being enforced.
"A small town like this... and go after business owners which is very good. That'll be... as a restaurant owner, fair play, fair competition," Khan says.
ICE says they arrested 24 individuals for immigration violations, and they're conducting an ongoing investigation.
Of the 24 people arrested, ICE says 22 were from Mexico and two were from Guatemala.
ICE says 17 are still in custody, but seven were released for humanitarian reasons. Of those seven, five were women and one was a minor.

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