O’FALLON, Mo. — A Mexican restaurant here reopened Friday after three employees were taken away by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers Thursday morning, workers said.
Uber Ramos, a manager at El Maguey along Highway K, said he was in his vehicle in front of the restaurant when several cars surrounded him. Men who identified themselves as ICE agents told Ramos they were there to arrest him.
“He didn’t tell me why or nothing,†Ramos said.
He and his wife moved from Mexico to the United States in 2001.
The arrests come as President Donald Trump promises a crackdown on immigration, including the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, arguing they pose a threat to the country’s security. On Jan. 29, ICE shared on social media that it conducted 1,016 arrests in one day.
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Being undocumented has been categorized as a civil offense, not a criminal offense. But this week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it’s a “big culture shift in our nation to view someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal, but that’s exactly what they are.â€
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the O'Fallon arrests.
Ramos said the incident started Thursday morning, before El Maguey was open.
After the officers surrounded him, they drove to the back of the restaurant to arrest two cooks who had come in early to open. Ramos said he and the two others were then taken to an office in downtown St. Louis, where they were questioned.
Ramos said he and the two cooks were released around 4 p.m., after the ICE agents found none of them had criminal records.
“Everything is clean,†Ramos said. “I come to work and where do you arrest me? Outside my shop. My customers know I’ve been here for 25 years.â€
Ramos’ daughter Evelyn picked them up downtown after an hours-long search for her father. Evelyn, who also works at El Maguey, said she received a call around 10 a.m. from a colleague who alerted her something was not right at the restaurant.
When she arrived at the restaurant she said no one was there and her dad’s car was empty. She quickly posted signs that the restaurant was closed and then drove around the region, making calls, trying to locate Ramos.
“I told (my family) and it was just tears and anger,†Evelyn said. “By the time I picked them up it was six hours of looking.â€
On Friday, the restaurant had reopened and Ramos and the two cooks were back to work. Ramos said they’ve been getting calls from news outlets and concerned customers. By lunch hour, El Maguey was busy with diners, which Ramos attributed to people supporting them.
Ramos said all three were given case numbers and scheduled for December hearings in immigration court in Kansas City.
As immigration raids and arrests continued across the U.S., the White House press secretary said the administration considers all undocumented migrants criminals.
