Following a raid by federal immigration agents on its flagship site in South Park, San Diego, the well-known restaurant company in Southern California, Buona Forchetta, has closed all of its locations through Tuesday.
The owners of the restaurant said on Instagram that all seven of its outlets in Orange and San Diego counties would be closing. They said this was done to give their staff time to recover and deal with the incident that resulted in at least two arrests.
“We wish we could find stronger words, but the truth is we are heartbroken. The traumatic incident involving a federal enforcement operation at our original and beloved South Park location has left a mark on all of us,” according to the statement.
Other locations of the franchise may be found at Newport Beach, Coronado, Encinitas, San Marcos, San Clemente, and Liberty Station (San Diego).
“Through the weekend, we showed up with smiles because that is who we are. We served our guests with love because that is what we know. But behind those smiles, we were carrying something heavy,” the statement added. “We will be back soon. But for now, we are holding our people close and leaning into the love you have so generously given.”
On Wednesday, the restaurants are anticipated to reopen as usual.
The eatery was getting ready to open on Friday when the chaotic raid took place. Around 4 p.m., U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers showed up outside the eatery to execute a warrant, the details of which are yet unknown.
Armed, masked officers wearing tactical gear arrested over a dozen employees, including its general manager, Renato Ametrano. At least two were placed under ICE detention, although the most were ultimately freed.
All of Buona Forchetta’s employees, according to Ametrano, possess the required paperwork to reside and work in the United States.
Other community members were brought to the restaurant as a result of the operation, and some of them surrounded ICE’s cars and tried to stop them from leaving the area. Occasionally, flash bangs were employed to try to disperse the gathering.
Although they have not disclosed any new details regarding the raid, ICE officials have stated that their investigation is still underway.
However, local authorities and citizens quickly condemned the spectacular event, which was widely disseminated on social media.
In a statement released on Saturday, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria expressed his “deep upset” feelings about the operation and said he had several concerns to Homeland Security Investigations authorities about how it transpired that morning.
“Federal actions like these are billed as a public safety measure, but it had the complete opposite effect,” according to the statement. “What we saw undermines trust and creates fear in our community.”
In a similar condemnation of the incident, San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera called it outright “state-sponsored terrorism” in an Instagram post.
“This isn’t a war zone — it’s a neighborhood in our city,” he stated. “These are federal agents carrying out raids under the false pretense of ‘safety.’”
In a separate post on X, formerly Twitter, Stephen Miller, President Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff, reacted to Elo-Rivera’s remarks by dismissing the criticism.
“We are living in the age of leftwing domestic terrorism,” he stated. “They are openly encouraging violence against law enforcement to aid and abet the invasion of America.”
Miller and Kristi Noem of the Department of Homeland Security urged in a meeting prior to the raid that immigration officers increase the number of arrests to 3,000 per day, which is approximately three times the number of daily arrests conducted in the opening months of Trump’s second term.
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Along with more than 500 other jurisdictions, DHS officials designated San Diego as a “sanctuary city” for allegedly obstructing “the enforcement of immigration laws,” a claim that local leaders contest.
Regarding Buona Forchetta, the proprietors announced on Saturday that they are collaborating with their lawyers to find the jailed staff members and provide for their families.
Additionally, a group of South Park companies are gathering money to support the detainees by covering their living expenses, lost income, and legal expenditures. Over $71,000 has been raised as of Monday, exceeding the fundraiser’s initial target of $60,000.
