Before Donald Trump was elected president, one of his top campaign promises was to crack down on illegal immigrants. Since being elected, Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have been happening in greater frequencies across the country. Over the past few months raids have gotten increasingly closer to Beaver County and surrounding communities.
On April 24, a local restaurant, 1942 Tacos and Tequila, was forced to shut down after ICE raided their business. This came to shock for many people in the community, as this was the first raid in Beaver County. During this raid, there were eight people arrested and taken into custody. It was noted that no local police helped ICE agents to detain employees. Over summer, the restaurant reopened with new owners, management and employees.
When Tepache, a Mexican restaurant in Cranberry Township, was raided in June, Casa San José was there to be an advocate for detainees. Casa San José is a nonprofit organization that supports and advocates for the Latino community in Allegheny County and surrounding areas. Due to the increase in ICE activity, they have set up protocols and resources to support detainees and the Latino community for interactions with ICE. They provide information on rights through workshops to better prepare individuals for an encounter with ICE. Their emergency response program has a hotline to report sightings of ICE. They also offer legal support though clinics and lawyer referrals.
There was more ICE activity in Beaver County on July 31, in Ambridge. While there was not a raid, ICE was patrolling the area with help from local police departments. During this time, 12 people were detained. Many bystanders protested for and against what was happening. There were several people arrested for disturbing the peace during their protests.
Again on Aug. 7, another ICE raid occurred. This time, Emiliano’s Mexican Restaurant was raided. There were 16 people arrested and taken into custody. Footage showing the damage that was done during the raid was posted on social media, bringing a lot of attention to what happened. This footage shows ceiling tiles ripped from the ceiling, a burned kitchen, a safe that was cut open, broken doors and other damages. Exactly a week after the raid, they reopened to customers.
“On Thursday, federal agents stormed our restaurants in a show of force that went far beyond anything reasonable or humane,” Emilano’s social media account said. “They did not just detain people—they raided the heart of our business, tore through our spaces, and left behind a trail of fear, confusion and destruction.”
With ICE raids and patrols becoming more frequent across the country, more than 1,000 police departments have signed Agreement 287(g) Task Force Model, according to ice.gov, the official ICE website. Agreement 287(g) outlines what they can and cannot do in relation to ICE activity under their jurisdiction. All but six states in the country have at least one department that has signed this agreement.