San Diego electeds challenge federal judge over warrant that led to South Park ICE raid
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San Diego congressional representatives and other elected officials criticized a federal judge during a Monday press conference for issuing the warrant that led to the chaotic scene following an ICE raid in South Park.
Catch up quick: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained four Buona Forchetta employees Friday during an operation that devolved into a confrontation with community members, with flash-bang grenades deployed in the street.
Driving the news: Rep. Juan Vargas (D-San Diego), who lives blocks from the incident, challenged U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Crawford's decision to issue a warrant allowing agents to detain all employees in the restaurant, regardless of immigration status.
- He demanded a meeting with the chief judge of the Southern District of California to understand how the warrant was approved.
- "To think, that quiet neighborhood had flash-bang grenades going off and people with machine guns, to arrest a cook — why? Because the court allowed it," Vargas said. "It's outrageous and they shouldn't have done it."
State of play: Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego), Rep. Mike Levin (D-Dana Point), Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) and Vargas said there has been no indication the targeted employees had criminal histories, beyond their immigration status.
- "If they were criminals or gang members, that evidence needs to be put forward today," Levin said.
- Vargas said he reviewed the search warrant, and it did not allege any of the detained workers had criminal records.
- "This isn't about going after criminals," Jacobs said, after also referencing ICE arrests last month in courthouses following immigration hearings.
Between the lines: Trump aide Stephen Miller demanded ICE agents supercharge immigration arrests nationwide in a tense meeting last month.
What they're saying: "I acknowledge that enforcement actions are taken daily, but not all of them result in what we saw on the streets of our city, and we must say that made no one safe," said Mayor Todd Gloria.
- "What this is, is intimidation," Vargas said. "What Trump wants to do is intimidate states and cities that are humane."
What's next: Buona Forchetta announced late Sunday all of its restaurant locations would be closed Monday and Tuesday.