ICE comes to local restaurants. It was inevitable.

Boston Globe

18 hours ago

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Jollof rice with chicken and plantains at Suya Joint in Providence.
Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
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According to the National Restaurant Association, 22 percent of restaurant and food service employees were born outside of the United States. It was inevitable that Trump's ICE crackdown would affect the restaurant industry. Some of this activity has been visible: In May, for instance, ICE agents raided San Diego restaurant Buona Forchetta, setting off flash-bang grenades and taking multiple workers into custody. Bystanders posted
But much of it happens quietly and unrecorded, in a climate of fear that breeds yet more fear, for workers and business owners alike.
In late May, ICE conducted
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'I never ever ever say this, but I think I'm a little worried to comment publicly,' replied one industry veteran. 'I am too opinionated to hold my tongue, and too close to a number of people who might be affected by my fire and brimstone. Clearly this administration is in the comments and the socials and looking for a reason to target anyone or any place.
An ICE raid on Nantucket in May.
'It is grim here right now. I can't get over the level of fear and anxiety. Previously, there was a sentiment that ICE was looking for the bad guys, and as long as you kept your nose clean and paid your taxes you'd be OK. Now they are just looking for the Spanish-speakers who are willing to humble themselves and work hard at any task to make a better life for their families.'
At the same time, ICE was also at work in and around Boston. 'In one week, I've lost three chefs,' reported one restaurateur, who operates multiple area venues. A fourth employee was also detained. He asked to remain anonymous, concerned about potential retaliation. 'The fear among the chefs is just unreal. Some aren't showing up for work now. They won't get on the T. Two of the guys got picked up on the T. It's all fear. I've never seen anything like this,' he said.
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One of the chefs was a 16-year employee with a 13-year-old child who was born here; she was serving as his translator. He was released on Friday after a month's detention and is now figuring out next steps for his case. Another was deported immediately, after volunteering to return to Colombia. A third was about to move to a different country, where his wife has citizenship — but at the last minute, he discovered his passport had expired and had to postpone his departure. He was picked up while taking his child to school.
Two of the employees have now been transferred to Louisiana, where they are awaiting hearings 'in not a very nice facility, and they get out one hour a day,' says the restaurateur. 'There's some sort of flu going around there, so they haven't been out of their cells in five days. It sounds even worse than what I'm telling you.'
'Every single day we hope and pray,' says Suya Joint owner Cecelia Lizotte, whose brother is in ICE detention.
Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
As for Dama, according to an ICE database, he is currently detained at the Strafford County Department of Corrections facility in Dover, N.H. He came to this country from Nigeria in 2019, fleeing after he was kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram. His family paid a ransom to secure his release. 'Going back to Nigeria is not safe. This feels like the kidnapping all over again. He was picked up right in front of his house,' Lizotte says. The family has launched a
But this is America, now. Hours before casting his
Minutiae
. Has there ever been a more chilling word?)
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Dama, who applied for asylum when he arrived, has been told that because his case is still pending, he is out of status, according to Lizotte. At a hearing on June 26, the judge told him he would need to start his asylum application all over again, she says. He has a bond hearing scheduled for July 3, to determine whether he can be released.
Until then, the family waits, hoping he isn't transferred in the meantime. 'Every single day we hope and pray,' Lizotte says. 'What he sees is at 2 a.m., 3 a.m., 4 a.m., in the middle of night, other people are being transferred. They are not given the chance to make phone calls to family members.'
The restaurant that made Lizotte a
'There are a lot of people where he is that don't have the support, they don't have any voice outside,' Lizotte says. Telling these stories where and how we can shines light on what is happening in American restaurants right now.
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Devra First can be reached at