ICE agents made multiple arrests at a popular local restaurant chain Thursday morning, following aborted efforts to detain workers there during a late-night sting in June.
At least 16 employees spread across two Emiliano’s Mexican Restaurant and Bar locations, in Gibsonia and Cranberry, were detained, the federal agency confirmed in a statement.
One employee at the Gibsonia restaurant said they witnessed agents entering with assault rifles and using a battering ram to break into parts of the restaurant, including a door to offices roughly 15 minutes before the restaurant was set to open at 11 a.m.
An ICE spokesperson emailed a statement indicating that ICE, among other agencies, were executing federal court-authorized search warrants based on information that the restaurants were employing undocumented immigrants…