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Several restaurants told WUSA9 they faced staffing issues as increased immigration enforcement causes workers to stay home.
WASHINGTON — Some D.C. restaurants are facing new staffing challenges as federal immigration enforcement ramps up in the city.
Several DC restaurant owners told WUSA9 that over Labor Day weekend, kitchens had to stay closed because workers were too nervous to come in. The fear, they said, stems from the heightened presence of immigration enforcement officers in neighborhoods across the District.
Tony Tomelden, owner of The Pug and president of the D.C. Capitol Chamber of Commerce, described what he’s been hearing from fellow business owners:
“It’s all anecdotal, but … I talked to one fella who did not open his kitchen on Labor Day because his kitchen staff is afraid to leave [the] house.”
Another restaurant owner, who asked not to be named, said two employees with valid work visas were recently detained by federal agents.
Catherine Rubio of CARECEN, a nonprofit that works with immigrant families, said her group has also heard about the impact:
“One member of our community noticed that there were ICE agents in the back of their restaurant, in the alleyway, I guess waiting to see if someone was gonna come or, you know, run out of fear.”
She added that immigrants make up a visible part of D.C.’s restaurant workforce:
“D.C. being such a tourist area when you go out to eat, when you go out to get served, what you’re gonna see is more of the immigrant community, and unfortunately, it’s become such a target,” Rubio said.
Rubio said the increased enforcement is creating “a strain and this really negative … environment around the city that people don’t want to be part of, which will affect them.”
A Workforce at the Center of It
According to immigration advocacy group FWD.us, nearly 36% of the D.C. region’s food, beverage, and hospitality workers are immigrants [This includes portions of Maryland and Virginia]. Restaurant owners say that means enforcement actions ripple quickly through kitchens and dining rooms.
The White House has said hundreds of arrests have been made during the crackdown, though it has not released a breakdown of criminal versus immigration-related cases.
For now, many restaurant owners say, they’re waiting to see how long the enforcement surge continues, and what that will mean for their ability to staff their businesses.
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