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Video: Feds Make Immigration Raids In Rutherford County


Immigration Agents Raid Murfreesboro Restaurant
Feds Also Investigate Home, Smyrna Restaurant
Reported By Marc Stewart

POSTED: 5:26 pm CDT June 17, 2008
UPDATED: 5:55 pm CDT June 17, 2008


MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Federal immigrations agents investigated two locations in Rutherford County on Tuesday.

Video: Feds Make Immigration Raids In Rutherford County

A raid took place at Chef Wang's restaurant in Murfreesboro and at another location in Smyrna was investigated.

According to employees, at least 12 people were taken away from Chef Wang's restaurant on Broad Street in Murfreesboro.

"Well, at first, it scared us. Because, you know, you see a bunch of cops come in…and then we were all put in one room," said Stacy Cox.

The employees said the agents came into the business at about 11 a.m.

"It was pretty weird. They took all the Hispanics from the back and were, like, frisking them, and they put them all in cuffs, set them down in the dining room and were talking to them in Spanish," said Brigitte Barbeau.

"It was pretty dramatic. These are people that we work with every day. You know, we’re like family here," said Cox.

Federal agents were also seen searching a home on Clark Boulevard in Murfreesboro, but it is not clear if anyone there was taken into custody.

"Pretty different day at work," Barbeau said.

"I'm very angry. I love my job here, and I don’t like it being taken away from me, but apparently there’s deeper issues here," Cox said.

Employees at Famous Chinese restaurant in Smyrna said that establishment was also investigated.

No one from the U.S. attorney’s office or the immigration service would comment on the investigations.

It's not clear who the owner of Chef Wang's is, because workers told Channel 4 that was not the man's real name.

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Proverbial `Drop in the bucket`.




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