A recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at the local Cilantro Taqueria in Cleveland Heights has sparked fear and outrage in the Cleveland community.
ICE agents arrived at the Mexican restaurant on Sunday, Jan. 26 searching for a former employee with a criminal record, but after not finding them, arrested six other workers instead. Witnesses say the agents were armed.
Cilantro Taqueria is a small chain with six locations across Ohio, named by Cleveland Magazine as one of Cleveland’s best in 2023. In light of the raid, the Cleveland community is coming together to show its support and grief for the establishment.
Residents have placed flowers and supportive messages outside the restaurant, with posters reading in Spanish, “Te queremos y te apoyamos” (we love you and support you) and in English, “No one is illegal on stolen land.”
Cilantro Taqueria’s Instagram account (@cilantrotaqueria) is filled with Clevlanders showing support, with comments like, “You are part of our community. We stand with you” and, “We love you and ALL your employees.”
The raid at Cilantro Taqueria felt personal to many in the Cleveland immigrant community.
Alma Rodriguez, a political science major at Cleveland State University, whose family is from León, Guanajuato, Mexico, shared her feelings about the raid.
“I was equally disappointed and angry,” Rodriguez said. “Cilantro Taqueria is a very well-loved small business in Cleveland that people rave about, and it’s a place my family and I love not only because the food is delicious, but because having an opportunity to speak with the employees in Spanish feels liberating. Everyone who works there is always so lovely and caring, so when ICE decides to raid, it automatically brings fear into an environment that nobody deserves to endure.”
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb released a statement following the raid on Jan. 28.
“My administration will not engage in the deportation of individuals who have not committed violent crimes,” the statement read. “No law requires that we do so. Cleveland police are tasked with protecting public safety, and while we will take action against anybody who commits violent crimes, we are not enforcing general federal immigration law. Our police are not here to play politics or be used as a tool for fear.”
What happened at Cilantro Taqueria isn’t an isolated incident, rather, it was part of a nationwide crackdown following an executive order by President Donald Trump that has resulted in ICE raids across the country.
On the same day, ICE arrested nearly 1,200 people — the largest number of arrests in a single day under the Trump administration. A White House senior official reported that over half of those detained do not have criminal records.
Rodriguez noted that while these raids have existed for years, there’s a renewed urgency in the Trump administration’s approach.
“Mass detainment has been happening for years, but this time around Trump is wasting no time. He is moving quickly, and his team and supporters are right behind him,” she said. “However, if there is one thing I know about the Latino community, it’s that we will always, ALWAYS, continue working hard to organize, spread resources, and support each other.”
ICE field workers report being told to increase arrests by Trump officials to 1,200 to 1,500 a day, a far cry from their 282 arrests a day average under the Biden administration. These operations have also affected local schools, with an Akron elementary school going into lockdown after ICE agents were spotted patrolling the area.
“We are living in an extremely political climate right now, and it can be intimidating to ask questions or admit to not understanding what Trump’s executive orders even mean,” Rodriguez said. “But please remember that hostility, oppression, and false information do not make you a better person—rather, it simply creates division, and there is enough of that in this world already.”
Rodriguez shared that she works with Avanzamos Unidos, an organization that strives to empower and protect the Latine community.
“To stay informed and empowered, contact us,” she said. “We are working diligently to provide resources and be a safe space for the community.”
Ele Solovyov 
csucauldron 
Mays Turabi