Immigration officers arrested a person on Craig Street Thursday afternoon as part of a targeted raid in the Oakland area, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Thursday night.
ICE officials said the Pittsburgh sub-office conducted an operation that lead to the arrest of one person at the Union Grill. A Union Grill employee said the restaurant had no comment when The Pitt News asked to speak to a manager about the arrest.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officers do not conduct sweeps or raids that target aliens indiscriminately,” a email statement from ICE read. “ICE’s enforcement actions are targeted and lead-driven.”
Some Craig Street restaurant employees said ICE targeted a second restaurant, and a Facebook post from Liana Maneese alleged ICE picked up three people, but officials only reported one arrest.
Social media users began posting about the raid early Thursday afternoon. Some users expressed concern, warning community members and encouraging locals to notify their neighbors.
In response to inquiries from Twitter users about the searches, Mayor Bill Peduto tweeted that the City’s law enforcement did not receive any notifications from ICE and that he had limited information regarding the arrests made by a federal agency.
Several employees of other Craig Street businesses were aware of the arrests. An employee at Yuva India, who didn’t give a name for privacy reasons, said they saw several black Suburbans with government plates that the employee concluded belonged to ICE.
Under President Donald Trump, ICE arrests have increased. Arrests increased 30 percent during the 2017 fiscal year compared to 2016. Yesterday, ICE conducted a nationwide sweep of 7-Eleven stores, making 21 arrests.
Some Tweets and Facebook posts referenced the recent raids of 7-Eleven stores, warning undocumented immigrants about the presence of ICE in Oakland.
https://twitter.com/APlusSchools/status/951526909342568448
https://twitter.com/PittYDSA/status/951569258512834561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpittnews.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php
https://twitter.com/dolphinjail/status/951533872684191745
** Please Share ** ICE raids reported in Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Be alert, protect your neighbors. I was stopped on the Liberty Bridge for a routine “check” that I’ve never seen my entire 3 years in Pgh.#ICE #immigration #raids #pittsburgh
— M C (@lawyer_future3) January 11, 2018
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