Multiple true and false reports of immigration enforcement at D.C.-area restaurants and playgrounds have increased concerns among the immigrant community.
This week, several D.C. restaurants saw visits, among them Chef Geoff鈥檚 and Millie鈥檚 in Northwest.
鈥淭hey came in through the entrances, asked to speak to our employees. We told them ‘no,’鈥� Millie’s owner Bo Blair said.
Blair said Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, some of whom were armed, visited his restaurant Tuesday morning. The agents, Blair said, asked for employees’ information and were told by his general manager that those records were not kept at the restaurant.
Blair said agents were seeking I-9 information 鈥� the Employment Eligibility Verification form that is used to determine if employees are authorized to work in the U.S.
Blair said his staff was left with 鈥渁 bunch of paperwork鈥� and management was told the agents would return next week.
鈥淓verybody’s working under the assumption that they were going after people involved in criminal activity. Now, it’s like a whole other level of things to deal with 鈥� harassment of hardworking people that have been here for many, many years, law-abiding, established great lives for them and their families here, and are now extremely scared that they’re going to be deported back to their country,鈥� he said.
Blair said he is offering support to his workers who may be concerned and is helping them access information about their rights. He said this is another blow to D.C. restaurants that are dealing with inflation and still recovering from the pandemic.
The visit has left some staff shaken, Blair said, and two employees have not returned to work.
“The immigrant community is the backbone of the restaurant industry. Without them, restaurants will not exist in this city and across the country,” he said.
An ICE spokesperson said in a statement to WTOP that no arrests were made during their visits to the D.C. restaurants.
鈥淯.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations is conducting worksite enforcement across the nation to ensure businesses are following U.S. immigration and employment laws. This includes recent worksite enforcement operations the D.C. area, during which more than 100 Notice of Inspections were served to local employers at various business,” the statement reads. “No arrests were made as part of these worksite enforcement operations.”
‘What happens to the kids?’
Concerns have only grown since President Donald Trump’s administration’s perpetuation of a campaign promise of mass deportations of immigrants in the U.S. illegally.
Those concerns about deportations also lead to a false alarm in D.C. that nannies were being targeted by ICE agents at the Forest Hills Playground in Northwest.
Ginger Willis was headed to the playground when she saw a man in tactical gear, wearing a mask and walking from an unmarked truck parked nearby. She called 911.
鈥淚 was terrified. I was with my baby coming to the playground,鈥� Willis said. “This is our neighborhood. 鈥� I don’t want to feel threatened at this playground.”
Willis said she didn鈥檛 think he was an ICE agent when she called the police but instead worried he may be there to harm others.
In the playground, others also saw people in tactical gear at a nearby building. During this time, someone posted to a neighborhood message board that ICE was targeting nannies in the park. The claims were false.
D.C. police confirmed to WTOP it was in the area assisting the U.S. Marshals Service with an arrest.
Several people in the playground also confirmed to WTOP that none of the individuals they saw in tactical gear came into the playground.
鈥淲e were here, a lot of nannies. Pretty much everybody was scared, but I’m not,鈥� nanny Gladys Calderon said.
The claim did lead several moms to come to the park, including Julianne, who did not want to provide her last name.
鈥淚 was very concerned about what was the safety of the children. The nannies are taking care of these kids. If they are taken away, what happens to the kids?鈥� Julianne said, adding she was thankful it was a false alarm.
Some who came to the park even brought flyers and cards to hand out that listed their rights.
Samantha Schleif is a mom and a nanny, and said even though the message wasn鈥檛 true, she is thankful for those who showed up after it was posted. She said the threat of deportation has many foreign-born nannies concerned.
鈥淭hey’re scared all the time. They’re always kind of looking around, looking over their shoulder. A couple of them have actually quit, and they’re just staying home,鈥� Schleif said.
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