An Indian restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota has shut down indefinitely amid an intensified immigration crackdown in the city by the United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The restaurant, Curry Corner, located in Northeast Minneapolis, said in a statement on Instagram that it “will be closing down until further notice.”
The Indian restaurant said that the decision to close was taken keeping in mind the safety of staff and team members.
“Due to ongoing safety concerns in Minneapolis, we’ve made the very difficult decision to temporarily close to protect our team,” the Indian eatery and bar posted on Instagram.
‘Will face financial difficulties’
The restaurant further acknowledged that the closure would bring financial difficulties for the staff and owners, and posted a link to a fundraiser that has so far raised over $25,000 of its $26,000 goal.
The restaurant also shared a video on Instagram wherein it claimed that it is sharing snacks with anti-ICE protestors.
“We are closed but we are still going to go out and support our community,” the restaurant posted on Instagram one day ago. Videos shared online show a Curry Corner staff member distributing hot samosas to protestors.
What is going on in Minneapolis?
Last December, US federal authorities launched ‘Operation Metro Surge’ sent thousands of armed, masked Department of Homeland Security agents, including ICE and CBP, into Minnesota.
The operation is being framed by federal authorities as lawful immigration enforcement, but state and local leaders describe it as a militarised crackdown that goes far beyond routine enforcement.
Thousands of Minneapolis residents have taken to the streets to protest against ICE, with tensions further compounding due to two fatal encounters of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Jeffery Pretti.
Two children were detained by ICE
Two children, aged two and five, were also detained by ICE agents in Minnesota.
A 5-year-old boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, was taken into custody with his father in Columbia Heights after returning home from preschool; school officials said the child was briefly held and transported with his father to a federal family detention facility, an action the local superintendent described as being “used as bait” to try to locate other adults in the home, a characterisation disputed by the DHS.
Separately, a two-year-old girl was detained with her father in Minneapolis during a traffic stop and initially moved toward out-of-state detention before a federal judge ordered her release, and she was returned to her mother’s care.