Protests broke out in San Diego last week after U.S. immigration authorities raided two popular local Italian restaurants, which ended with the use of flash grenades to disperse angry crowds.
The raids, executed Friday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security officers, at Buona Forchetta and Enoteca Buona Forchetta in South Park, a trendy San Diego neighbourhood lined with popular shops and places to eat, ended in four people being taken into custody, according to the The Los Angeles Times.
Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations, a department within ICE, told the publication that the warrants were related to alleged “violations of hiring and harboring illegal aliens and false statements,” adding that an investigation was ongoing.
The arrests come amid a crackdown on illegal immigration in California and the country in general, as U.S. President Donald Trump vows to erase the presence of people residing in the U.S. without legal authorization, though the legality of these measures has been repeatedly challenged by the Supreme Court, elected officials, federal judges and the general public.
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In a statement shared on Instagram on May 31, Buona Forchetta said it was “devastated and heartbroken” by the raids and that the way events unfolded was “nothing short of traumatic.”
“We are working closely with our attorneys to locate and support our detained employees and their families,” it continued, adding that it is providing support for staff members who witnessed the incident.
According to O’Keefe, during the incident, a large crowd gathered and began chanting “Shame!” — its presence ultimately stifling agents’ ability to execute the raid, she said.
“The demonstrators became unruly and as a result less lethal noise flash diversionary devices were deployed to allow law enforcement to exit the scene as safely as possible,” O’Keefe explained.
“When gatherings like these are formed, it not only places law enforcement in danger but also the demonstrators and onlookers attempting to impede law enforcement activity,” she concluded.
Footage of the protests has since appeared online and shows residents and passersby demanding that officials vacate the premises.
One witness told NBC News, “This isn’t freedom, this is fascism,” and, according to the Los Angeles Times people could be heard yelling “Nazis” and “fascists” at ICE agents as they attempted to block a government vehicle.
City officials in San Diego condemned the use of non-lethal incendiary devices to control the crowds, saying it did nothing but disturb the peace.
“Federal actions like these are billed as a public safety measure, but it had the complete opposite effect, “ San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria wrote in a statement.
What happened last night in #SouthPark undermined trust and made us less safe.
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/7Mqt8KlRrG
— San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (@MayorToddGloria) May 31, 2025
On Monday, California lawmakers gathered outside San Diego’s federal courthouses to speak out against Friday’s raids.
“We are outraged at what we saw on Friday,” Democratic Rep for San Diego, Juan Vargas, told reporters. “The scenes that we saw play out on the streets were absolutely unacceptable. Why were ICE agents armed to the teeth as if they were entering a war zone?” He queried.
“This was to intimidate and to bring terror and fear,” he continued.
Over the weekend, in Massachusetts, ICE concluded a month-long mission, coined Operation Patriot, to curb illegal immigration in the state that saw nearly 1,500 people deemed “criminal aliens” detained.
Student-led protests erupted in a Boston suburb on Sunday after 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes Da Silva was detained on his way to volleyball practice with friends. ICE agents were looking to arrest his father, who they say is living illegally in the U.S. His son, who was described by his coach as an “exceptional citizen,” had been attending school in the Boston area since the age of six years old.