The establishments included Millie’s, Ghostburger, Chang Chang, and Central Michel Richard, the Washington Examiner learned. ICE reportedly visited several others, too, such as Chef Geoff’s, in a wave of immigration enforcement across the city.
District Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed that immigration agents had been contacting people in the area earlier in the day. “I have heard those reports. I’ve been getting them all morning. I am disturbed by them. It appears that ICE is at restaurants or even in neighborhoods, and it doesn’t look like they’re targeting criminals,” Bowser told reporters.
She said the investigations do not involve local police.
A manager at Ghostburger, David Utter, told the Washington Examiner that agents stopped by the restaurant on Tuesday at about 3:30 p.m. and dropped off an I-9 notice of inspection form, which stated that they have “until a certain day to submit our I-9 verifications for the employees that work for the company.”
He also said that it was the first time in his nearly 10 years in the restaurant industry that he had seen something like that. The agents noted they didn’t need to come in or talk to anyone, Utter recounted, and none of them appeared armed.
Other restaurants also were the subject of I-9 inquiries. Millie’s saw eight or nine agents enter the restaurant at once through all public entrances, according to a Washingtonian report.
“Those experiences that I read about is not what happened with us,” Utter told the Washington Examiner.
Ghostburger may be known outside of Washington as the place former President Joe Biden called in January 2023 to place an order and celebrate 10 million small business applications during his presidency to that point.
Utter said many in the restaurant community had been tipped off about the raids as President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up immigration control in sanctuary cities.
“We heard that something like this might be happening today, and, I mean, I understand, like, where it’s coming from. I mean, I know some experiences kind of differed,” Utter said, describing the interaction with agents as “pleasant.”
A worker at Chang Chang said their interaction with the agents was less pleasant. Visiting the establishment just before noon, the men said they were doing an “inspection for I-9 forms” and left after they were told the manager wasn’t there. They came back later and demanded to speak to employees, but the manager there said they needed a warrant.
NOEM SAYS RECONCILIATION BILL WOULD ’EMPOWER’ DHS TO ENACT TRUMP IMMIGRATION PLANS
The person said they heard Jaleo DC had also been visited, but the restaurant declined to comment.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE for comment but did not receive a response.
