Restaurant workers detained after ICE agents dine at Minnesota eatery

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers who popped into a small-town Mexican restaurant for lunch in central Minnesota reportedly returned hours later to make arrests.

According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, four officers were seen eating at El Tapatio, a family-run restaurant in Willmar, Minneapolis at around 3pm on Thursday.

Witnesses said the officers sat together in a booth, drawing quiet attention from diners and staff alike.

Those same witnesses later described the atmosphere inside the restaurant as tense, saying employees appeared frightened as the officers ate and then left.

By the evening, bystanders reported seeing ICE officers arrest three staff members connected to the restaurant in a nearby school and church.

Witnesses also claimed the officers followed the workers after the restaurant closed for the day before moving in.

Authorities have not confirmed the identities of those arrested, nor explained the reason for the detentions.

Willmar, a city of about 21,000 people, has a large immigrant population. Around 40% of residents are people of colour with roughly one-third identifying as Hispanic, according to census data.

The arrests come amid a wider federal crackdown on immigrant communities in Minnesota.

Thousands of Department of Homeland Security officers have been deployed across the state as part of efforts targeting alleged fraud and misuse of public services.