Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

Lawmakers to ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility: “This troubling incident is not an isolated case. Rather, it appears to be part of a broader pattern of escalated and theatrical immigration enforcement operations across the country”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), along with U.S. Representatives Scott Peters (D-Calif.-50) and Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-52), condemned a recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in San Diego and demanded an investigation following reports that around 20 ICE agents detained four employees at Buona Forchetta and Enoteca Buona Forchetta restaurants. ICE agents wearing military-style gear raided the restaurants during peak dining hours, detonating flash-bang grenades and instilling widespread fear and panic across the restaurants and the broader San Diego community. 

The lawmakers emphasized that this disturbing raid reflects a pattern of “theatrical” immigration enforcement stunts under the Trump Administration, which have stoked fear and uncertainty in communities in California and across the country. They urged ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate the agents’ use of force, tactical decisions, compliance with legal protocols, and coordination with local officials, as well as the operation’s impact on local communities and businesses. They also requested information on how the raid aligns with ICE’s current immigration enforcement priorities and what guidance agents had received regarding enforcement in civilian or public-facing settings.

“This troubling incident is not an isolated case. Rather, it appears to be part of a broader pattern of escalated and theatrical immigration enforcement operations across the country,” wrote the lawmakers. “Similar tactics — including the use of heavily armed agents and high-profile raids in civilian spaces — have recently been employed in several other communities. These include a raid at an underground nightclub in Los Angeles just hours after the San Diego incident, and an April operation in New Bedford, MA, where agents violently smashed in a car window to detain a Guatemalan man waiting in his car for an attorney to arrive. These events raise serious questions about the appropriateness, proportionality, and execution of ICE tactics.”

The lawmakers also highlighted the San Diego raid’s harmful impacts on the local economy, community safety, and public trust in law enforcement.

“Several local officials — including the mayor of San Diego — have publicly condemned the raid, emphasizing its destabilizing effect on the community and economy. They have also condemned its chilling impact on the willingness of individuals to report crimes or co-operate with law enforcement,” continued the lawmakers. “These concerns are not just local; they speak to the national implications of how this Administration is misusing federal immigration enforcement power in ways that undermine public trust and community safety.”

“We urge your office to prioritize this investigation and to provide a detailed report of your findings. Transparency and accountability are essential to maintaining public confidence in our law enforcement agencies,” concluded the lawmakers.

Senators Padilla and Schiff, as well as Representatives Peters, Vargas, Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.-51), and Mike Levin (D-Calif.-49), also sent a letter today to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem expressing their concern over the deliberate targeting of immigrants trying to follow the legal process at courthouses, including at the San Diego Immigration Court located in the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building.

Senators Padilla and Schiff continue to stand up against the Trump Administration’s inhumane immigration enforcement tactics across California. Last month, Padilla, Schiff, and Representative Norma Torres (D-Calif.-35) condemned the Department of Homeland Security’s indiscriminate immigration enforcement raids in Pomona, California, as part of President Trump’s cruel mass deportation agenda, which has terrorized California communities and harmed the economy. Earlier this year, Padilla and Schiff also demanded answers from the Trump Administration after Homeland Security Investigations agents attempted to enter two Los Angeles Unified School District elementary schools to question students.

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Associate Director Fenton:

We write to express serious concern regarding the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation conducted on May 30, 2025, at Buona Forchetta and Enoteca Buona Forchetta restaurants in San Diego, California. Reports indicate that approximately 20 agents in military-style gear executed a raid during peak dining hours, detaining four employees and deploying flash-bang grenades, which created widespread panic among staff and patrons.

This troubling incident is not an isolated case. Rather, it appears to be part of a broader pattern of escalated and theatrical immigration enforcement operations across the country. Similar tactics—including the use of heavily armed agents and high-profile raids in civilian spaces—have recently been employed in several other communities. These include a raid at an underground nightclub in Los Angeles just hours after the San Diego incident, and an April operation in New Bedford, MA, where agents violently smashed in a car window to detain a Guatemalan man waiting in his car for an attorney to arrive. These events raise serious questions about the appropriateness, proportionality, and execution of ICE tactics.

Given the gravity of these concerns, and the potential civil rights implications of these enforcement strategies, we respectfully request that your office undertake a thorough investigation into the May 30 raid in San Diego. We also ask that you respond to the following questions by July 7, 2025:

1. Use of Force and Tactical Decisions: Was the decision to deploy agents in military-style gear including face coverings and to use flash-bang devices in a civilian environment justified based on any credible threat or resistance? If so, what specific threat assessments, risk factors, or intelligence justified the use of such force?

2. Compliance with Legal Protocols: Did the operation comply with ICE’s internal policies and all applicable laws governing workplace enforcement actions, including the scope and execution of the search or arrest warrants? Please identify any lapses in oversight that may have contributed to the operation’s execution, and clarify whether any internal review procedures have been initiated as a result.

3. Community Impact and Coordination: What steps, if any, were taken to consider the effect of such tactics on local businesses, immigrant communities, and public safety? Were local officials or law enforcement agencies consulted prior to the operation?

4. Pattern of Conduct: How does this operation fit into current enforcement priorities, and what guidance has been issued by ICE leadership in recent months regarding arrest and detention priorities in civilian or public-facing environments?

Several local officials—including the mayor of San Diego—have publicly condemned the raid, emphasizing its destabilizing effect on the community and economy. They have also condemned its chilling impact on the willingness of individuals to report crimes or co-operate with law enforcement. These concerns are not just local; they speak to the national implications of how this Administration is misusing federal immigration enforcement power in ways that undermine public trust and community safety.

We urge your office to prioritize this investigation and to provide a detailed report of your findings. Transparency and accountability are essential to maintaining public confidence in our law enforcement agencies.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. We look forward to your timely response and to the results of your investigation.

Sincerely,

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