Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted I-9 audits at several Washington, D.C., restaurants on Tuesday, including Chef Geoff’s, owned by Geoff Tracy, husband of CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell. The raids are part of President Donald Trump’s intensified efforts to enforce immigration laws and remove illegal immigrants from the workforce.
At approximately 10:30 a.m., nearly a dozen ICE agents arrived at Chef Geoff’s Northwest D.C. location, requesting to inspect workers’ I-9 forms, which verify employment eligibility. The operation lasted about 90 minutes, and no arrests were made. Other establishments targeted included Millie’s, Officina, Mi Vida, Jaleo, Santa Rosa Taqueria, Pupatella, Call Your Mother, and Clyde’s.
Some restaurants received advance notice of the inspections, while others were given verbal warnings about future visits. Millie’s owner, Bo Blair, described the agents’ approach: “They all came in all of the public entrances at the same time.”
The raids align with the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement strategy. In the first 100 days of President Trump’s second term, ICE reported arresting 66,463 illegal aliens and removing 65,682, including individuals deemed threats to public safety and national security.
The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington expressed concern over the timing and impact of the raids, noting the significant presence of immigrant workers in the city’s hospitality industry. Shawn Townsend, the association’s president, stated, “There is a sense of fear… Immigrants make up a large amount of workers in our restaurants in the district.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser criticized the operations, emphasizing that local police were not involved and expressing concern over the disruption caused by the raids. “It appears that ICE is at restaurants or even in neighborhoods, and it doesn’t look like they’re targeting criminals,” she said.
