Two immigrant workers at a Greek-American restaurant in Minnesota, who are brothers and worked as cooks, were arrested in an ICE raid at their workplace.
According to CBS, the incident occurred in Rochester, MN, in the parking lot of one of two Greek Mediterranean restaurants named Nupa, owned by businessman Ted Paizis. He reported that ICE officers detained the two cooks Wednesday morning as they arrived for their kitchen shifts.
“When you lose two employees, the whole operation is affected. They were like family to us, and we’ll miss them. It’s sad that it happened this way,” Paizis told CBS.
Due to the staff shortage, he was forced to limit operations to just one of his restaurant locations. Paizis stated he was unaware of any issues with the workers’ residency or work status, speculating that the problem might involve the authenticity of their documents but stressing they were tax-paying employees who contributed to U.S. healthcare and tax systems.
“They worked, paid taxes, Social Security, and Medicare. As far as we know, they had no criminal record,” Paizis said.
Following the ICE incident, Nupa Mediterranean, owned by Paizis, operated only at one of its locations this week. The community has shown overwhelming support, and Paizis described his business as being in mourning over the situation.
The arrest of the two workers raised alarm among immigrant rights groups in Minnesota, confirming concerns that long-time immigrants with no criminal records—who simply seek a better life—would also be targeted under stricter immigration enforcement policies of the Trump administration.
A protest was organized in downtown Rochester, where the workers’ case became a key discussion point.
“As an immigrant myself, I know what it’s like to live in fear. America is immigrants. Look at our ancestors – this country was built on immigration,” said Pablo Scaggi, a Mexican immigrant and protester.
Meanwhile, the Rochester Police Department clarified that although they were aware of ICE operations in the area, they had no direct involvement in the arrests.
Tags:
community support, Greek-American restaurant, ICE raid, immigrant rights, immigrant workers, immigration enforcement, Minnesota, Nupa Mediterranean, protest, Rochester, Ted Paizis, Trump administration