By JW August

People gathered outside Buona Forchetta Saturday to protest an immigration enforcement operation by federal authorities that took place at a pair of restaurants in South Park.

Armed federal agents on Friday afternoon went to the Buona Forchetta and Enoteca Buona Forchetta restaurants on Beech Street and arrested an unknown number of employees.

Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, confirmed the operations Saturday and added, “As this is an ongoing investigation, we have no further releasable information at this time.”

In an Instagram post Saturday, Buona Forchetta said it was working with attorneys “to locate and support our detained employees and their families.”

The raid “was nothing short of traumatic,” Buona Forchetta posted.

“We are devastated and heartbroken. Buona Forchetta has always been, at its core, a family. We stand together, now and always. We are still processing the deep pain and confusion caused by this situation.”

The protests outside of the restaurant were just some of the reactions that reflected that pain. Sisters Pizza in North Park and Hillcrest, for instance, responded on Instagram, “Sending all of our love and support.”

On the Buona Forchetta Facebook page 600-plus comments indicated overwhelming support for the restaurant and its owners.

Some commenters did say there could be a valid reason for the surprise raid, but most were angry about how it came to pass.

As an example, former San Diego City Councilmember Jim Madaffer commented that he was “disgusted,” saying that ICE personnel “totally crossed the line. And flashbangs on the crowd witnessing this disgusting abuse of power? So sad for the trauma inflicted on employees.”

Another supporter, Christopher Dowling, added, “I’m surprised Kristi Noem wasn’t there taking selfies,” referring to the Secretary of Homeland Security.  He described the ICE activity as “theatrics and performative right down to the uniforms, tactical kits, time of the raid and place. It was by design to send a message. ICE couldn’t care less about stopping VIOLENT illegals.”

Paul Correa, a regular at the restaurant,  said “It was upsetting, very upsetting, to see things play out, as we walked up, like every Friday with our kids at 5 p.m. for dinner and good chats with staff.” 

Kristina Ost’s reaction was like many others, expressing “we are horrified, angry and disgusted.”

The restaurant’s manager, Renato Ametrano, on Friday described what happened, saying that ICE officers showed “up with no explanation.”  He said there were about 20-25 officers who “surrounded the building and then came inside” pushing him against the wall and handcuffing him. 

They frightened the workers, many of them students, Ametrano said, describing ICE personnel as “very aggressive”  while handcuffing other members of the staff. They eventually took two employees, said Ametrano, because “they didn’t have a physical ID.”

A chaotic scene followed, during which a crowd gathered around ICE vehicles, with two flash bangs going off at one point.

The trauma led Ametrano to shut the restaurant down for the night, but he was back Saturday winding up the awnings to open.

CBS 8 reported that the San Diego Police Department confirmed its officers were called in at 6:07 p.m. Friday “by an urgent request for assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to assist with the gathered crowds.”

“The nature of their involvement at the time of the request was unknown to us,” the department said in a statement. “SDPD was not involved in the operation beforehand, nor were we involved in any immigration enforcement. Federal agents had left the area prior to our arrival, and our officers did not ultimately provide any assistance or take enforcement action.”

Several elected officials expressed their concern Saturday, including Mayor Todd Gloria, who said he had been in contact with federal officials to register his “strong objections.”

Gloria issued a statement saying that, “Like many San Diegans, I was deeply upset by Friday night’s immigration enforcement operation at Buona Forchetta and Enoteca Buona Forchetta in South Park.

“Federal actions like these are billed as a public safety measure, but it had the complete opposite effect,” he said. “What we saw undermines trust and creates fear in our community. I raised these concerns and my strong objections directly with Homeland Security Investigations leadership this morning. I will continue to advocate for the respect, dignity, rights, and security of everyone in our city.”

Rep. Scott Peters, a San Diego Democrat who represents the 50th District, said his office “will be investigating the incident to ensure law enforcement is using its resources on public safety threats and meeting the highest standards.”

In a statement, Peters said, “How does scaring restaurant patrons and arresting people busing tables and washing dishes make us safer? It doesn’t. It wastes our limited law enforcement resources. It proves that the promise to deport only dangerous criminals was a fraud. And it abuses hardworking people and the neighbors they work among – there’s your waste, fraud and abuse.”

County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer said in a statement that what happened in South Park “was a disturbing escalation of the same tactics we saw in our courthouses earlier this week: intimidation over public safety, fear over fairness.”

San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, whose district includes South Park, posted on X that he was “deeply troubled” by what took place.

“People have the right to due process … San Diego must remain a city where fairness, humanity, and the rule of law prevail,” Whitburn posted.

Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre – a candidate for the vacant District 1 San Diego County supervisors seat – said in a statement that the arrests were an “over-the-top, militarized show of force that doesn’t belong in a residential neighborhood.”

“Flash bangs and assault rifles aimed at restaurant workers and community members is not enforcement – it’s intimidation,” said Aguirre.

The campaign for Aguirre’s opponent in the July 1 runoff, Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, said in a statement to CNS that “The mayor has been on Navy duty and not able to comment.”