A search warrant that cleared the way for Friday evening’s raid of Buona Forchetta in South Park revealed that the federal government had been preparing for some time to go after the popular restaurant.
Initially, it was a tip in 2020 that caught the attention of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. An unnamed tipster made claims of illegal workers and bad working conditions.
The case lay dormant for over four years until ICE decided to move forward and renewed the investigation in February when they requested employees’ documentation from the restaurant. The agency subsequently began surveillance of the restaurant during a two-day period last month.
The warrant detailed how the officers watched the restaurant and identified a number of individuals as possible suspects.
A section of the warrant ICE used.The warrant also showed examples of various forms of U.S.-issued identification that can be used by workers. And it included photos and names of employees believed to be working illegally at the restaurant.
This is what Homeland Security Investigations provided to Magistrate Judge Karen Crawford for her to consider in deciding whether to sign off on a warrant to conduct the raid.
It was that decision that raised the ire of Rep. Juan Vargas during a Monday news conference. He called for the local federal judiciary to oppose these sorts of efforts that he said are being pushed hard by the Trump administration.
Times of San Diego spoke with an expert on the criminal justice system at the federal level, providing copies of the just unsealed warrants and asked whether Judge Crawford was out of line in signing off on the warrant.
It was this expert’s opinion that Crawford was provided enough substantiated information by the lead ICE agent to justify signing the warrant. At the same time, the expert was not qualified to determine if the raid was politically motivated, appropriately handled or was heavy-handed.
That is exactly what Rep. Scott Peters spoke about at the press conference, wondering how frightening it must have been to be patrons watching armed ICE agents sweeping in from all sides.
“The diners were traumatized,” he said. “The kids were traumatized. Those same ICE agents, they weren’t conducting these raids with machine guns six months ago to go find a couple of cooks and a couple of busboys to make a show of. They were not doing that.
“They’re now being directed by Washington, D.C. This is our government terrorizing our own communities.”
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Warrant for South Park ICE raid was based on reopened probe of 2020 tip )
Also on site :
- Amazon Is Selling a 'Lovely' $70 Patio Umbrella for Only $30, and Shoppers Love That It’s 'Weather-Resistant'
- Israel ‘Activated Clans’ to Fight Hamas in Gaza, Netanyahu Says
- Dakota Johnson Says ‘Madame Web’ Flop ‘Wasn’t My Fault’: Decisions Are Made in Hollywood by ‘People Who Don’t Have a Creative Bone in Their Body’