ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WSVN) — ICE agents detained several restaurant kitchen workers in Michigan, but not before having breakfast first.
Fox News reports that the Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) officers entered Sava’s restaurant in Ann Arbor on Wednesday morning, dining on waffles in the eatery. But when they were done with their meals, the restaurant’s owner said the agents went into the kitchen, looking for an employee who was not working at the time.
When the ICE agents realized the employee was not on duty, restaurant representative Bree Stillwell said they started demanding documentation from other cooks in the kitchen.
The agents eventually detained three workers who did not have documentation, according to Fox News. Another worker, Carlos Rivera-Ochoa, was handcuffed and detained, even though he had provided agents with his permanent resident card.
Rivera’s wife Nicki Sanchez told MLive that the incident left her husband “terrified.”
“They just slapped some handcuffs on him,” Sanchez said. “Not only is that offensive, he was embarrassed in front of the whole restaurant. Why didn’t they ask him before they detained him?”
Sava Lelcaj, the restaurant’s owner, said the incident shook her employees and customers up.
“It’s really sad,” she told MLive. “It scares the whole community. Today’s a great indication even if you have your documentation, and you’re at the wrong place at the wrong time, you can still be at risk.”
Lelcaj told multiple outlets that she uses a third-party service to screen applicants before they are hired.
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