NORTHWEST TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — Chile and Chili's Taqueria has permanently closed its Tennessee Street location in Tallahassee following what the business says was an immigration raid caught on the restaurant's cameras Friday.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
The restaurant announced the closure on Facebook, encouraging customers to visit their mall location.
ABC 27's Brieanna Smith went to the mall location Monday afternoon, where she was told to reach out to the owner.
She called and texted but did not receive a response.
A GoFundMe account, which appears to have been started by the business, states:
"Several families in our community have been left facing an incredibly difficult and uncertain time. Loved ones who helped provide for their households are no longer there, leaving families struggling to meet their most basic needs."
An original version of the GoFundMe post, which has since been changed, said at least three workers were detained, and all other employees quit out of fear.
ABC 27 emailed the Immigration and Customs Enforcement media team about what happened and how many people were involved.
We also reached out to Florida Highway Patrol's main media line — after speaking with the local office — the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Tallahassee Police Department to determine which agencies were involved.
A TPD representative said they would look into it, but none of the agencies had responded as of publication.
Leon County Sheriff's Office told us their agency had no involvement.
In response to the raid, immigrant rights group Tallahassee Community Area Response Equipo — known as TCARE — is organizing a protest.
Co-coordinator Isabel Ruano said the group is demanding Florida law enforcement agencies cut ties with ICE.
"We are demanding that Florida changes course when it comes to immigration enforcement because every day we see pictures of workers, workers on work uniforms, being taken away,” Ruano said. “These are simple people that go to work every day.”
The protest is set for Wednesday, September 30, at 6:30 p.m.
This latest raid follows last year's protests in Leon County over local 287(g) agreements.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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