ICE Agents Ate at a Small-Town Mexican Restaurant — and Then Arrested Workers
Willmar, Minnesota — January 2026
Hours later, after the restaurant had closed for the evening, the same federal agents returned to make arrests. Around 8:30 p.m., ICE agents reportedly followed employees as they left the business and detained three individuals — including workers from the restaurant — near a local church and Willmar Middle School.
Bystanders who witnessed the arrests reacted with shock and anger. Some blew whistles and shouted at the agents as they made the detentions. One onlooker was reported to have asked the agents, “Would your mama be proud of you right now?” as they led employees away.
Willmar is a city of roughly 21,000 people in Kandiyohi County, western Minnesota. Although smaller than the Twin Cities, it is one of the most diverse communities in the state, home to large Latino, Somali, and Karen immigrant populations.
Who Was Arrested — and Why?
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) later provided a partial explanation for the operation. According to DHS, ICE agents were conducting surveillance on a specific enforcement target — identified as Jose Rosario Gomez Gallardo, described as an “illegal alien” from Mexico. Agents were monitoring his vehicle and positively identified it parked outside the restaurant before executing a separate vehicle stop later in the day.
DHS said that during that vehicle stop, its officers apprehended “the target” as well as two additional people in the car, one of whom reportedly had a final order of removal from an immigration judge.
However, news reports emphasized that the individuals detained that evening — including those from El Tapatio — were linked to a federal enforcement action and that DHS released minimal details about their immigration statuses or specific charges.
Local Reaction and Impact
One Willmar resident, Abdullahi Mohamed, told local media that immigrant families were “scared for their life,” noting that some people were hesitant to go about daily activities like shopping or visiting friends.
Brentt Fees, another local, said that when he stopped by El Tapatio to check on the situation, he found the restaurant had already closed — a sign, he said, of the chilling effect ICE enforcement actions were having on the community.
Political and Community Backlash
The incident drew swift local and national attention, becoming a flashpoint in the broader debate over immigration enforcement in the United States.
Minnesota officials and community leaders expressed deep concern about the tactics used by ICE. In Minneapolis — roughly 95 miles east of Willmar — the situation has already sparked protests and political pushback against expanded federal immigration enforcement.
Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis publicly criticized ICE’s presence in the state, citing what he described as aggressive deportation and enforcement tactics. Frey announced legal actions aimed at curbing or ending the ICE deployment in Minneapolis, arguing that the federal agency’s methods were tearing at the social fabric of immigrant communities.
Civil liberties groups and immigrant rights advocates also condemned the Willmar arrests. They highlighted the optics of ICE agents eating at a restaurant and then returning to detain those who served them, asserting that such actions exacerbate fear and mistrust between law enforcement and immigrant communities — even beyond those targeted for deportation.
Federal officials have maintained that these enforcement actions are part of routine operations targeting individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States — a mission delegated to ICE under U.S. immigration law.
A DHS spokesperson emphasized that agents were executing lawful arrests pursuant to surveillance and identification of a specific target. Officials rejected claims that the lunch visit was directly tied to the detentions, stating that the agents were conducting investigative work and that any appearance of impropriety should be separated from operational necessity.
National Context — Immigration Enforcement Surge
The Willmar restaurant incident unfolded in the context of a broader federal push to intensify immigration enforcement across the United States. In recent weeks, Minnesota has seen a series of high-profile ICE operations, including raids in the Twin Cities and immigration enforcement actions in workplaces and public spaces.
Other actions documented as part of this broader push include:
ICE agents detaining workers at a Mexican restaurant in Willmar (the lunch-then-arrest incident).
Agents reportedly using tear gas and stun grenades near protests in an unrelated enforcement action.
ICE stopping school transportation vans based on immigration status, according to reports from local schools.
These actions have drawn further backlash from immigrant rights groups, civil libertarians, and some elected officials who argue that aggressive enforcement undermines public safety — by discouraging cooperation with law enforcement — and fuels a climate of fear in immigrant communities.
Legal and Policy Debate
The Willmar arrests have reignited debates over ICE’s authority, tactics, and accountability. Legal scholars and advocacy groups argue that federal agents should face greater oversight and transparency requirements when conducting enforcement actions that affect non-criminal, immigrant families and small businesses.
Key legal and policy questions raised include:
Use of surveillance tactics: How ICE uses routine customer interactions to support enforcement surveillance.
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