U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered a Washington, D.C., restaurant owned by CBS News senior correspondent Norah O’Donnell’s husband amid an agency crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Chef Geoff’s, owned by O’Donnell’s husband Geoff Tracy, was one of several eateries in the district visited by ICE on Tuesday. Agents asked to view employment verification records, according to a report.
Roughly a dozen agents entered the restaurant located in the district’s Northwest area on New Mexico Avenue around 10:30 a.m., the report noted.
No individuals were taken into ICE custody, but the action has raised alarm for district officials and food service groups.
“I have heard those reports. I’ve been getting them all morning,” Democratic Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said. “I am disturbed by them. It appears that ICE is at restaurants or even in neighborhoods, and it doesn’t look like they’re targeting criminals.”
The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington told the Washington Examiner that ICE’s actions represent a threat to the district’s restaurants and economy.
“The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) is deeply concerned by reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities, including reported raids and drop-ins, at dining establishments across the District of Columbia,” RAMW said in its statement.
“From dishwashers to executive chefs to restaurant owners, immigrants are irreplaceable contributors to our most celebrated restaurants and beloved neighborhood establishments. The immigrant workforce has been essential to sustaining and growing our local restaurant industry and has been a major contributor to our local economy.”
More than 60,000 people are employed in the area’s restaurant industry, and according to RAMW, disrupting staffing can create a “damaging ripple” throughout the local economy.
“We urge policymakers on a local and federal level to consider the real-world impact on local businesses and communities,” RAMW’s statement read. “More importantly, we expect that every member of our community, regardless of status, will be treated with dignity, communicated with clearly, and afforded every legal right guaranteed.”
Other establishments targeted by ICE include Millie’s, Ghostburger, Chang Chang, and Central Michel Richard, the Washington Examiner reported.
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Officina, Jaleo, Santa Rosa Taqueria, Clyde’s, Pupatella, and Call Your Mother were also visited, according to a report.
Jaleo was a favorite spot of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama during their time in the White House.