ICE agents check Chipotle stores nationwide

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - by Denver Business Journal
Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2011, 4:33pm CDT

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents checked more than 20 Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants in several states Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation of the Denver-based burrito chain’s hiring practices, according to several news reports.

The Wall Street Journal quotes Robert Luskin of law firm Patton Boggs LLP in Washington, an outside counsel for Chipotle, as saying ICE agents visited 20 to 25 outlets and questioned workers, including managers and supervisors.

Cities where restaurants were visited included Los Angeles, Washington and Atlanta and others. There was no immediate word if the Twin Cities were part of the visits.

Chipotle fired 450 Minnesota workers over their immigration status last year, which represented a third of Chipotle's workforce in the state.

Luskin told the Reuters news service that ICE delivered advance notice of the visits to Chipotle and that the company sent notes to employees instructing them to cooperate.

“We’ve got nothing to hide,â€