Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided a Foggy Bottom restaurant in a GW-owned building Wednesday afternoon, detaining and questioning several people, the University confirmed Friday. Officials said in a federal updates email Friday that agents detained “a number of individuals” from Circa, located across the street from the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro stop but did not specify how many and said they have no information suggesting any are affiliated with GW. Friday’s announcement followed a Thursday post by the Immigrant Liberation Coalition at GW, which alleged that ICE pulled between six and 15 people from the restaurant during the raid, detaining some and checking immigration papers of others. York Van Nixon IV, Circa at Foggy Bottom’s senior general manager, declined to comment on the raid or answer questions about the incident and the number of employees ICE detained. A spokesperson from Circa Bistros, which operates Circa at Foggy Bottom, did not immediately return a request for comment on the raid. A University spokesperson declined to comment on when the University learned of the raid, why officials did not issue a GW Alert and whether ICE contacted GW — which owns the building Circa operates in — ahead of the raid. “We continue to monitor the federal law enforcement environment and will communicate any changes to campus operations with our community,” officials said in the update. ICE officials did not immediately return a request for comment on the identities of the individuals detained, their current status, if the agency contacted the University prior to the raid or if any individuals affiliated with the University were impacted by the incident. ICE also did not immediately return a request for comment on whether the agency is planning any additional immigration enforcement actions in Foggy Bottom or near GW’s campus in the near future. The Immigrant Liberation Coalition at GW said on Instagram on Thursday afternoon that, according to firsthand accounts, ICE pulled roughly six to 15 people from Circa Wednesday afternoon, detaining some and questioning others while checking immigration papers. The post said agents arrived in black unmarked cars parked near the Metro, and agents wearing face coverings “stormed” into the restaurant. “They forced everyone outside and employees and bystanders were instructed not to record as the raid unfolded,” the post read. Representatives from the Immigration Liberation Coalition at GW did not immediately return a request for comment. Since August, there has been a surge of federal law enforcement agents — including ICE, FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service — in the District following President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department and move to deploy National Guard troops across D.C. From Aug. 7 to Sept. 9, federal enforcement made 943 immigration-related arrests in the District, making up over 40 percent of the total arrests made during that period, according to data obtained by the Associated Press. $3725 $4000 Contributed Our Goal Your donation directly empowers the student journalists of The GW Hatchet, giving them the tools to investigate, report and publish stories that matter. Every contribution helps us continue our decades long tradition of independent journalism at GW.