U.S. Border Patrol arrest 8 illegal subjects with ties to two N. Michigan restaurants

U.S. Border Patrol arrest 8 illegal subjects with ties to two Northern Michigan restaurants

• By Rick Charmoli and Chris Lamphere Cadillac News

• Oct 25, 2019 Updated 5 hrs ago

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On Thursday, U.S. Border Patrol Public Affairs Officer Kris Grogan said those rumors of stings and raids at Herraduras Mexican Bar and Grill were "false reports." Grogan did confirm, however, that recent illegal activity tips resulted in the arrests of eight individuals who worked for Herraduras Mexican Bar and Grill in Cadillac and La Riviera Mexican Grill in Manistee.
Chris Lamphere


CADILLAC — The closure of a popular Cadillac Mexican restaurant has many who frequent the establishment asking what is happening.

Rumors of immigration raids or stings at the restaurant have been swirling around the community since news of its closure started to hit social media earlier this month.

The only official report by the restaurant’s ownership came via its Facebook page. The cause of the closure was said to be the result of reported “mechanical issues.‘

On Thursday, U.S. Border Patrol Public Affairs Officer Kris Grogan said those rumors of stings and raids at Herraduras Mexican Bar and Grill were “false reports.‘

Grogan did confirm, however, that recent illegal activity tips resulted in the arrests of eight individuals who worked for Herraduras Mexican Bar and Grill in Cadillac and La Riviera Mexican Grill in Manistee.


On Sept. 29, Grogan said via email that U.S. Border Patrol agents responded to an illegal activity tip in Cadillac. The agents arrested five nationals of Mexico as the result of vehicle stops, according to Grogan’s email. During the stops, Grogan said all five individuals freely admitted to being illegally present in the United States and working for Herraduras Mexican Bar and Grill.

The five subjects, which included four males and one female, were all transported to the U.S. Border Patrol Station in Sault Ste. Marie. During processing, it was determined all five subjects were Mexican nationals and they were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Enforcement and Removal Operations for removal proceedings, Grogan said.

A second event took place on Oct. 20 when U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested three individuals after receiving a tip regarding illegal activity in the Manistee area, Grogan said. The arrests took place after agents encountered the three subjects during a consensual encounter in a hotel parking lot in Manistee, according to Grogan.

The three subjects admitted they were illegally present in the United States and were placed under arrest.

Grogan said two of the three were Mexican citizens while the third was a Honduras citizen. They were all transported to the U.S. Border Patrol Station in Sault Ste. Marie and were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Enforcement and Removal Operations for removal proceedings, Grogan said.

Due to the ongoing investigation, no further information was available, according to Grogan.

It is unknown if the arrests played a role in the Cadillac restaurant closing or what type of “mechanical issues‘ are occurring. The Cadillac News reached out to the owner and management of the Cadillac restaurant, but they did not return calls by press time.

On Sept. 30, a post on Herraduras Mexican Bar and Grill’s Facebook page stated the restaurant would be closed that day due to “mechanical issues.‘ The hope was the restaurant would reopen the next day, which it did.


The restaurant remained open, but that was short-lived.

On Oct. 21, the restaurant again posted on social media it was going to be closed. This time it was stated the closure would be “until further notice.‘ The post also apologized for all the inconvenience the extended closure might cause.

Two days later on Oct. 23 a Facebook post by the restaurant explained there was not an exact date for reopening, but the hope was to have the restaurant up and running soon. The post also indicated any updates would be posted via Facebook.

La Riviera Grill, which is owned by the same person who owns Herraduras, posted a Facebook message stating the Manistee restaurant would be closed on Oct. 16 due to mechanical issues. The Manistee restaurant was open for normal business hours the next day. There is no indication via its social media the Manistee restaurant is closed at this time.

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