SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A demonstration unfolded in South Park on Saturday afternoon as dozens of community members gathered to protest recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids at local restaurants and across Southern California as a whole.
The rally, organized by local grassroots organizations, took place near Buona Forchetta and Enoteca Buona Forchetta, which had been the focus of ICE operations in late May. During that incident, multiple employees were detained and witnesses reported a heavy presence of law enforcement, including the use of flashbangs and smoke grenades to disperse crowds.
Local and state lawmakers have since called for a federal investigation into the raid. In a formal letter sent to ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), along with Representatives Scott Peters (D-Calif.-50) and Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-52), demanded an investigation into the use of force, legal compliance, and community impact of the raid…