SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Buona Forchetta, the popular Italian restaurant chain whose flagship location in South Park was raided by federal immigration officials, will be closed for several days as the neighborhood continues to reel from last Friday’s startling operation.
The restaurants’ owners announced the closure to all seven locations in San Diego and Orange counties on Instagram Sunday night, saying the decision was made to give their employees time to rest and to process the incident that led to the arrest of at least two.
“We wish we could find stronger words, but the truth is we are heartbroken. The traumatic incident involving a federal enforcement operation at our original and beloved South Park location has left a mark on all of us,” the statement read.
“Through the weekend, we showed up with smiles because that is who were are. We served our guests with love because that is what we know. But behind those smiles, we were carrying something heavy,” it continued. “We will be back soon. But for now, we are holding our people close and leaning into the love you have so generously given.”
The statement noted the closure will remain in place through at least Tuesday. They are expected to resume normal operations on Wednesday.
The chaotic incident began unfolding as the restaurant was preparing to open on Friday. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrived outside the restaurant around 4 p.m. to carry out a warrant, the specifics of which remain unknown at this time.
More than a dozen workers, including its general manager, Renato Ametrano, were detained by armed, masked agents in tactical gear. Most were later released, but at least two were taken into ICE custody.
According to Ametrano, all of Buona Forchetta’s staff have proper documentation to live and work in the U.S.
The operation brought other members of the community out to the restaurant, some of whom surrounded ICE’s vehicles and attempted to block them from leaving the area. Flash bangs were used at points to try and disperse the crowd.
ICE officials have not released any additional information about the raid, but said their investigation remains ongoing.
Nonetheless, the dramatic incident, which was shared widely on social media, drew swift condemnation from local leaders and residents.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria described being “deeply upset” by the operation in a statement Saturday and said he raised a number of concerns regarding how it unfolded with Homeland Security Investigations leaders that morning.
“Federal actions like these are billed as a public safety measure, but it had the complete opposite effect,” the statement read. “What we saw undermines trust and creates fear in our community.”
San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera issued a similar rebuke of the incident, bluntly calling it “state-sponsored terrorism” in a post on Instagram.
“This isn’t a war zone — it’s a neighborhood in our city,” he said. “These are federal agents carrying out raids under the false pretense of ‘safety.'”
President Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller responded to Elo-Rivera’s words in a separate post on X, formerly Twitter, tossing back the admonishment.
“We are living in the age of leftwing domestic terrorism,” he said. “They are openly encouraging violence against law enforcement to aid and abet the invasion of America.”
Prior to the raid, Miller, alongside Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, demanded in a meeting that immigration agents ramp up arrests to 3,000 per day, roughly triple the number of daily arrests made in the first months of Trump’s second term, as Axios reported.
DHS officials also flagged San Diego as a “sanctuary city” alongside more than 500 other jurisdictions it pledged to scrutinize for alleged obstruction of “the enforcement of immigration laws” — something local leaders dispute.
As for Buona Forchetta, the restaurant’s owners said Saturday they are working with their attorneys to locate their detained employees and support their families.
A collective of South Park businesses is also fundraising to help support those detained, providing aid for legal fees, lost wages and their families’ living expenses. As of Monday, more than $71,000 has been collected, surpassing the fundraiser’s goal of $60,000.
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