Buona Forchetta, the parent company of Garage Buona Forchetta in Coronado, says it is “devastated and heartbroken” after its popular South Park restaurant was the site of “an ICE Worksite Enforcement Operation.”
All Buona Forchetta restaurants in San Diego — including Garage Buona Forchetta in Coronado — have closed their doors for two days to regroup after the incident.
“We wish we could find stronger words, but the truth is we are heartbroken,” reads a statement posted on the door of the Coronado location on 10th Street and C Avenue. “The traumatic incident involving a federal enforcement operation at our original and beloved South Park location has left a mark on all of us.”
The ICE raid made national news after a video showed heavily armed and masked agents dressed in full tactical gear surrounding the popular South Park restaurant late Friday afternoon. A large crowd of community members pushed back at the ICE agents, surrounding their vehicles and yelling. The ICE agents deployed flash bang smoke grenades which broke up the crowd.
According to reports, four employees were arrested by federal agents: three men from Mexico and one from Colombia. Their jobs include busboy, dishwasher and cook.
According to a warrant that was unsealed late Monday afternoon, the investigation originated from a November 2020 tip, claiming that Buona Forchetta in South Park was engaged in the employment of illegal immigrants and labor exploitation. The warrant says the tipster said that the owner, Matteo Cattaneo, knowingly employed the undocumented workers and asked them to work 12 hour shifts without breaks. A follow-up tip in January 2025 also claimed employment of undocumented workers.
The warrant says they found 19 fraudulent green cards throughout the course of the investigation.
Friday’s ICE raid came shortly after a Supreme Court decision allowed President Trump to revoke legal status for 500,000 immigrants. After the decision, Trump shared on his social media channels an image of planes flying and the message, “Let the Deportations Begin.”
But U.S. Representatives Scott Peters (CA-50) and Juan Vargas (CA-52), who held a press conference Monday morning along with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, took issue with the raid in South Park, calling it “reckless” and “outrageous.” The representatives say they are demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security and that the raid “did nothing to make the community safer.”
Vargas questioned why ICE agents were carrying machine guns and “aggressively shoving people against the walls,” handcuffing all the employees. He said the warrant for the raid, which was signed by a federal judge, instructed ICE agents to arrest everyone and detain all the employees.
“I don’t know how a federal judge signs off on that,” said Vargas. “What about the rights of those citizens?”
He said the warrant didn’t indicate reference to any of the workers having committed violent crimes.
“Reading the warrant…no murderers. No rapists. Nothing like that,” said Vargas. “What was their crime? They were working in a restaurant without documents. That’s it.”
Congressmen Scott Peters said that the 20 armed agents who burst into the restaurant traumatized the staff and the owner.
“ICE agents weren’t conducting these raids with machine guns six months ago,” he said. “This is what they are being told to do. This is coming from inside our government. This is our government terrorizing our own communities.”
Peters said he is going to try to help the employees and their families, and Vargas said he is planning to meet with the chief judge of the Southern District, and ask why judges are signing off on these warrants.
“This is a tragic, tragic thing that has happened,” said Vargas. “It’s an outrage, and we’re going to push back.”
In a statement from Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe from the Department of Homeland Security, on May 30, ICE officers and agents executed two criminal federal search warrants at Buona Forchetta and Enoteca Buona Forchetta for violations of hiring and harboring illegal aliens and false statements.
The statement says that agents arrested four subjects illegally present in the U.S.
“While executing the court authorized warrants, a large crowd began to form. The demonstrators became unruly and as result, less lethal noise flash diversionary devices (NFDD) were deployed to allow law enforcement to exit the scene as safely as possible. When gatherings like these are formed, it not only places law enforcement in danger but also the demonstrators/onlookers attempting to impede law enforcement activity. This is an ongoing investigation. No further information is available.”
As news of the story broke, Coronado residents expressed concerns on social media pages, calling the raid “excessive” and “heartless.” Others suggested that the restaurant had hired undocumented workers and that ICE agents were simply following the “law of the land.”
Local restaurateur Luis Madrid, who runs the Coronado Coffee Company and Lil’ Piggy’s BBQ at the Coronado Ferry Landing, says the situation is “nerve-wracking.”
“Do they just choose a certain business and go after it?” asked Madrid. “It’s so sad for all the workers that are just trying their best. I’m just so sorry that happened.”
Coronado City Councilmember Amy Steward emailed a statement to The Coronado Times, expressing concern for all involved.
“My heart goes out to the Buona Forchetta family and everyone who witnessed the tactics to sow fear in our communities,” she wrote. “This should not be condoned or tolerated by our country.”
Coronado Councilmember Mark Fleming said that he and his wife have enjoyed many meals at Garage Buona Forchetta and they do a great job serving the community.
“I don’t know the immigration status of the individuals that were detained, but if they were in this country illegally they should not have been employed by the restaurant,” said Fleming. “I support the efforts by both our local and federal law enforcement agencies to keep us safe and to arrest and detain individuals that have broken our laws, including deporting individuals that came into our country illegally.”
He went on to say he thinks it’s a shame when citizens and elected officials attempt to interfere with law enforcement efforts.
“Their jobs are dangerous enough without the intentional interference by citizens and government officials,” he said. “I do not support illegal immigration and I do not support the sanctuary status of our state, our county, or local municipalities. Rather than our elected officials condemning the actions of ICE, they should be supporting their efforts and focusing on protecting the citizens of our great country.”
Garage Buona Forchetta is one of five Buona Forchetta restaurants in San Diego, opening just a few days before the global pandemic lockdown. It’s known in the community for its warm ambiance, Italian cooking and involvement in local fundraisers and nonprofits. Many remember how the restaurant served up huge, family-style portions as a takeout special during the COVID lockdown.
Longtime Coronado resident Colby Freer said that Buona Forchetta is a bright spot in the community.
“The owners have donated to countless events and nonprofits and fundraisers, always with a smile,” she said. “The dedication and love they have given to our Coronado community is nothing short of spectacular.”
Concern over the incident resulted in a GoFundMe account to support detained Buona Forchetta employees. The initiative has garnered more than $80k in donations.
According to the statement from the Buona Forchetta Family, the the biggest priority right now is its people.
“We are working closely with our attorneys to locate and support our detained employees and their families,” reads a statement released on Saturday. The statement goes on to say, “We are grateful no one was physically harmed. We are also deeply moved by the outpouring of support from the community.”
This is a developing story.
I will point out that these employees were underpaid and overworked. That is part of an all to common business model that exploits undocumented workers.
Everyones are protecting this establishment and feel sorry for the Immigrants that break the laws and use fake documents to make money that they will send back to Mexico, there is two loss here, economically money do not stay in the country and also the opportunity for our teen agers to get jobs that they can do, and Police have to be armed because if you are not all he takes is one of those guy with a gun to loose an Officer life, are you ready for that??? Stop complaining and follow the rules, this is no joke, this is the fitter of out generations that they are putting on the side, think about that, lets fix this problem and if you do not like it you are part of the problem
Arrest the owners for hiring federal law breakers.
This was super reckless. Whoever doing this trying to make the community scared. Fear is a terrible weapon. Thankful nobody was hurt.
Michael, not a good comparison. Stephanie…we ARE a great country.
Agree. There is a better way of handling this problem. We don’t need thirty heavily armed agents raiding business establishments.
Terry is spot on:
FAFO
Illegal means illegal. They need to get their papers in order to work in the country. The establishment needs to thoroughly verify these people’s legal status before hiring them. It shouldn’t take that long.
However, I do have a problem when the ICE agents come in full military regalia with machine guns to arrest them. Leaves a bitter taste in our citizens. We don’t need to do that. It scares everyone.
I agree with Council member Mark Fleming. The owners knowingly hired illegals, likely paying them less than minimum wage which they could not get away with when employing legal immigrants or citizens. Before condemning our laws, consider what else the owners are involved in? If they are easily employing illegals….just sayin??
All this has Nothing to do with how good their food or service is….more about their business practices.
It’s been known for decades that many restaurantsin San Diego county especially ethnic restaurants have employed illegals ( Italian illegals as well as South American) & has nothing to do with their cuisine or their friendliness in the community. This is a message to all restaurateur to ck your employee roster.
FAFO.
Break the law you should be accountable! What message are you sending when you have illegal people working at your restaurants? I’m sorry but all emotions aside. Become legal and you won’t need to live in fear!
SHAME
This isn’t Nazi Germany (or is it?) to raid at dinner on a Friday night is purely an example of tRUMP and the right wing’s racism!
Remember, it’s been the rePUKElicans that have BLOCKED immigration reform for DECADES for political grandstanding!
That makes it difficult for businesses to know if their employees are legal or not, as well as caused inconsistency in the immigration process.
And of course this type of raid would never happen in an unethical, immoral state that voted for tRUMP
No it’s not but if you don’t hold people accountable for breaking the law what’s the point of having any laws. Hey I’m not against hard working people just law breakers. I’m not racist so stop with name calling me something I’m not.
what you are is anonymous, like any troll
Exactly why people are “anonymous” on these posts. Because you can’t have an opinion without being called names.
agree
its getting like nazi germany and we are going backwards
wow, you just make stuff up.
It wasn’t a Friday night, it was before the restaurant opened, around 4pm. That’s afternoon.
The restaurant, and all law abiding business, should be using e-verify to confirm their workers eligibility to work. e-Verify is a federal program which checks I-9 informations using social security and DHS information. Is it mandatory? No, but the law is, so why wouldn’t you? The bar to clear is NOT a fake green card. Is it any wonder Buona Forchetta’s owners are seeking legal council?
It’s pretty simple: If a person enters our country illegally, they have committed a crime; and so, become criminals. Any employer who knowingly employs an undocumented immigrant becomes a lawbreaker, as well. Why is that so hard for some people to grasp? All citizens are expected to obey our laws; and privileges extended to CITIZENS are not granted to illegal immigrants.
Maybe the next time you’re pulled over for speeding or running a stop sign or whatever you won’t mind if the Officer is wearing a mask, armed with an assault rifle and handcuffs you
Buona Forchetta has built its brand by elevating and giving back to the local community. This raid was very clearly over the top with a level and display of lethal force that is disproportionate to the **alleged** crime and presented a far larger threat to the community than necessary.
We still live in a country where you are considered innocent until proven guilty. In general, restaurants operate on small margins — verifying the status of employees who present valid paperwork is non-trivial. That’s why neither California nor the Federal government require, generally, eVerify. That requirement would bankrupt many small businesses because it is inefficient and complex so if that’s your goal, you should petition for that change to the law. But it isn’t the law. So it’s quite likely that the owners simply took at face value the documents presented to them as valid. Perhaps that was a mistake and they shouldn’t do that in the future. But is that a machine-gun worthy mistake? Is that the standard you want applied to all of the restaurants and small businesses in your community? I certainly don’t. What happened at Buona Forchetta was disproportionate and presented unnecessary dangers for all involved — community members, innocent workers, and ICE agents trying to do their jobs. It was just wrongheaded.
Mr. Fleming really showing his cards and I hope he never enjoys ANY restaurant in San Diego. Clearly doesn’t understand business or doesn’t care.
I am sick of officials reassuring themselves by parroting ” our great country “. Bragging, especially now, is NOT a good look. We have done things to be proud of but masked armed men are not worthy of strutting.