Florida: ICE Raid Surprises and Detains Immigrants at Food Trucks

Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained three Guatemalan workers on Friday, September 25. The operation occurred at the food truck Chile & Chili’s Taquería, located on West Tennessee Street in Tallahassee, Florida.

Security camera footage from the business, released this week and obtained by Fox News Digital, went viral on social media. The images show several employees running in different directions when agents arrived.

Agents were seeking to verify the documentation of workers dispensing food.

Immigration Proceedings Underway at Time of Raid

According to the business owner, the three detainees had immigration proceedings in progress with authorities. This means they had already initiated a legal procedure to regularize their stay, although the process had not yet been completed.

Local media WCTV reported that the workers were finalizing their immigration paperwork when they were detained. An ongoing immigration process does not automatically protect against arrest, as ICE can act while a case remains open before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The remaining employees at the food truck, all immigrants with legal status in the country according to the owner, resigned out of fear of another raid. As a result, the business permanently closed its Tennessee Street location.

Business Closure and Economic Support for Families

The owner of Chile & Chili’s announced the closure through social media and asked customers to visit another location within a shopping center. The owner also launched an online fundraising campaign to help with expenses for the families of detained workers.

That GoFundMe campaign had raised nearly $13,000 dollars days after the raid, according to Fox News Digital. The financial support aims to cover basic needs while families face the legal process of the detained workers.

Local organizations also showed solidarity with the workers. The Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance shared a message on Instagram calling ICE’s actions a continuing attack on the local community.

Community Protest Demands End to Immigration Raids

In response to the operation, the organization Tallahassee Community Area Response Equipo (TCARE) convened a demonstration for Wednesday, September 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the same location where the food truck operated. The group is demanding that Florida police agencies break their collaboration agreements with ICE.

«We are demanding that Florida change course on immigration law enforcement because every day we see photos of workers, in their work uniforms, being detained,» said Isabel Ruano, co-coordinator of TCARE, according to Archyde. «They are ordinary people who go to work every day.»

This raid adds to other recent immigration operations in Leon County, where protests over local agreements known as 287(g) were already registered last year. That program allows state and local police to collaborate directly with ICE in immigration control operations, under federal supervision.

Those with a family member detained by ICE can request the case number from the U.S. Marshals Service or check the detainee locator on ICE’s official website. Having legal representation from the earliest hours of detention can be decisive for the outcome of an immigration case.