Minneapolis business closes early after visit by ICE agents
Hola Arepa in Minneapolis was heading into dinner rush Wednesday night, when two plain-clothed individuals entered the restaurant, saying they're from the Department of Homeland Security, General Manager Naomi Rathke said.
"Whipped out a badge really quickly and then flashed a photo of someone on their phone, and then they said, 'We're looking for this person.'" Rathke said. "I said, 'This person doesn't work here.' They had said, 'Well, we see her in the back right now.' And I said, 'That person is not here.'"
Rathke refused to let the men into the restaurant's back of house.
"They said, 'We don't need a warrant.' I said, 'Yes, you do.'" Rathke said.
According to Rathke, the men said the restaurant was surrounded and they would be waiting outside for the individual they were looking to apprehend.
"I think it's posturing. I think it's intimidation," Christina Nguyen, Hola Arepa owner and chef, said.
Hola Arepa closed early that night and safely escorted employees to their cars. Surveillance cameras also captured ICE leaving the restaurant's lot the morning before, Nguyen said.
According to the National Immigration Law Center, ICE needs a judicial warrant to enter a private area of a business, whereas an administrative warrant does not allow agents to enter private areas without permission.
WCCO reached out to ICE for comment but has not heard back.