Federal immigration agents detained the manager of a Mexican restaurant in Minnesota after visiting the establishment for a meal, according to local reports and officials.Four Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents ate lunch at El Tapatio on January 14, a family‑owned Mexican restaurant in Willmar, a community of about 21,000 located about 95 miles west of Minneapolis, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.Why It MattersIn December, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale interior immigration enforcement initiative that has mobilized thousands of federal agents—including personnel from ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Border Patrol—to conduct concentrated operations in Minnesota's Twin Cities area and other locations in the Democratic-run state.DHS has described the effort as focusing on migrants with serious criminal records and immigration violations, making it one of the largest domestic deployments of immigration enforcement personnel in recent U.S. history. Critics have characterize the operation as part of the Trump administration's hard-line deportation stance, raising concerns over what they describe as aggressive immigration enforcement....What To Know"ICE officers conducted surveillance of a target, Jose Rosario Gomez Gallardo an illegal alien from Mexico," Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for DHS, which oversees ICE, told Newsweek.The statement did not specify whether they were restaurant employees or owners. However, Gomez Gallardo is listed as the resident manager of the restaurant, according to 2016 records reviewed by Newsweek, and a business filing dated January 14 listed Jose Gomez as the registered agent."Officers observed that the target's vehicle was outside of a local business and positively identified him as the target while inside the business," McLaughlin said."Following the positive identification of the target, officers then conducted a vehicle stop later in the day and apprehended the target and two additional illegal aliens who were in the car, including one who had a final order of removal from an immigration judge," she continued.The arrests took place around 8:30 p.m. near a Lutheran church and Willmar Middle School, as ICE agents followed the restaurant staff after closing for the night, the Star Tribune reported, adding that a handful of bystanders blew whistles and shouted at the officers, with one asking, "Would your mama be proud of you right now?"El Tapatio closed early following the ICE visit, and agents later detained multiple individuals, including owners and another worker, according to WCCO. A 20-year-old family member said his parents owned the business and told the outlet that he planned to reopen the restaurant the following day.Located in Kandiyohi County in central Minnesota, Willmar has an estimated population of 21,000 as of the 2020 census. The city's population is diverse, with about 40 percent identifying as people of color and about one‑third reporting Hispanic heritage.Minnesota has been in the national spotlights for weeks following a widespread fraud scandal and the Trump administration's deployment of immigration officials. On January 7, ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37‑year‑old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, which ignited nationwide protests. Following the deadly encounter, captured on multiple videos that circulated widely online, demonstrators in Minnesota and cities across the U.S. have rallied under slogans such as "Justice for Renee Good," condemning what they say was an unjustified use of force against an unarmed woman.The Trump administration has defended the ICE agent's actions, calling Good a "domestic terrorist" and arguing that the shooting was done in self‑defense, a stance that has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights advocates and progressives.Local officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, have challenged the government's narrative, saying the widely shared video contradicts federal claims that Good's vehicle posed a deadly threat.What People Are SayingAaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, wrote on X: "There are no words. ICE agents ate lunch at a small local Mexican restaurant in Minnesota, enjoyed their meal, then came back later that night as the restaurant was closing down and arrested the people who had served them."Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino wrote in response: "Illegal aliens should utilize the CBP Home app. or else they are subject to arrest."