ICE Agents Ate Lunch Then Seized Workers Hours Later in ‘Dine-Then-Arrest’ Tactic

Four federal immigration agents ordered lunch at El Tapatio, a family-owned Mexican restaurant in Willmar, Minnesota, on January 15, 2026. The staff, visibly shaken as they recognized their customers, served the meal despite their fear. Hours later, at 8:30 p.m., those same agents followed employees’ vehicles after closing and detained three workers near a Lutheran church and middle school, igniting national controversy over enforcement methods during the largest immigration operation in U.S. history.

The January incident unfolded as part of Operation Metro Surge, which deployed approximately 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota beginning in December 2025. The Department of Homeland Security characterized it as unprecedented in scope, resulting in over 2,500 apprehensions in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area since November 2025. An eyewitness who documented both the lunch and subsequent arrests reported the palpable distress among restaurant workers throughout the day. Bystanders confronting agents during the evening detentions shouted, “Would your mama be proud of you right now?”

Federal Response and Legal Action

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the operation’s tactics in an official statement. “ICE officers conducted surveillance of a target, an illegal alien from Mexico,” McLaughlin explained. “Officers observed that the target’s vehicle was outside of a local business and positively identified him as the target while inside the business.” The surveillance target was identified as Jose Rosario Gomez Gallardo. According to DHS, agents “conducted a vehicle stop later in the day and apprehended the target and two additional illegal aliens who were in the car, including one who had a final order of removal from an immigration judge.” El Tapatio has since closed, though the owner’s son announced reopening plans.

The operation intensified following a January 7 fatal shooting that further strained community relations. ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and mother of three, during an enforcement action in south Minneapolis. Emergency records and bystander video contradicted DHS’s initial characterization of the incident as “an act of domestic terrorism” by Good. On January 17, 2026, U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez issued a temporary restraining order partially blocking Operation Metro Surge tactics. The injunction prohibits agents from arresting peaceful protesters, using chemical irritants against demonstrators, and conducting vehicle stops solely because individuals are following federal agents. Minnesota, Minneapolis, and St. Paul filed suit alleging constitutional violations.

Economic Fallout Across Twin Cities

Immigrant-owned businesses throughout Minnesota report catastrophic revenue declines of 50-80 percent since the enforcement surge began. El Burrito Mercado, a 47-year-old St. Paul establishment, reduced operations from full-day service to just four hours daily. CEO Milissa Silva-Diaz told CNN: “ICE is using my business as a hunting ground.” Shopping districts have become desolate as fear drives immigrants to avoid public spaces, even when possessing valid work authorization.

The broader economic implications are substantial. Immigrants comprise 20.3 percent of food service workers nationally—over 2 million employees in a sector already facing chronic labor shortages. In Minnesota specifically, immigrants generated $289.1 million in business income and employed 52,932 people as of 2014. Multiple restaurants have closed temporarily or permanently, with workers too frightened to report for shifts. The cities’ lawsuit highlights potential tax revenue losses accompanying the sales declines.

Community Mobilization and Resistance

Minneapolis community members have organized safety patrols guarding routes to schools, protecting students—including U.S. citizens—from potential detention. Parents and neighbors created volunteer networks after ICE agents tackled individuals at Roosevelt High School, prompting school closures on January 9. Multiple establishments have announced they will refuse service to ICE agents. Wrecktangle Pizza in Minneapolis physically blocked federal agents from entering. Community members raised over $83,000 for nonprofits helping affected families. Restaurants are implementing security modifications including posting warning signs, blocking rear entrances, and monitoring front doors.

Policy Contradictions and Broader Context

Willmar, located 95 miles west of Minneapolis, has a population of 21,015 that is 23.7 percent Hispanic and 12 percent Black, primarily Somali. The city’s diversity stems from Jennie-O Turkey Store’s labor demands, which attracted thousands of immigrants to a county that voted nearly 65 percent for President Trump in 2024. This demographic-political tension reflects structural contradictions in U.S. immigration policy: restaurants face chronic labor shortages with 60 percent citing staffing as their primary constraint, yet legal immigration pathways inadequately accommodate this demand. Until policy aligns with labor market realities, enforcement operations will continue imposing economic damage while failing to resolve underlying contradictions, immigration policy experts argue.