By Esteban Fernandez
Times West Virginian
NUTTER FORT — A sign warned lunch patrons to Taqueria Lou Lou in Nutter Fort that opening would be delayed to 1 p.m.
A few hours earlier, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took two people away from their community.
“These men were not ‘bad guys,’” owner Lindsey Fonseca wrote in a statement posted to Facebook. “They came to work, did their job and went home. No drugs. No drinking. No kidnapping kids. No horror story. Just people.”
ICE launched an ongoing crackdown targeting undocumented immigrants across West Virginia, including the North Central region, on Tuesday. Taqueria Lou Lou was one of several Mexican restaurants raided. Fonseca declined to comment in person.
“This is people’s lives,” she said.
The state of West Virginia has partnered with the Federal government under the 287(g) program. Under the terms of the program’s contract, state police have some of the same immigration enforcement powers as ICE agents, such as the power and authority to interrogate an undocumented person and arrest them without a warrant. They also have the power and authority to issue immigration detainers.
According to data from DeportationData.org, ICE apprehended 664 undocumented people in West Virginia as of October. The previous year, the agency apprehended 185 and in 2023 the agency apprehended 60. Under 287(g), the state has made roughly 60-70 detainments, leaving the vast majority done by ICE agents. Of the 664 apprehensions done through October, only about 200 fell under what ICE calls the “convicted criminal” category.
DeportationData.org is a project affiliated with the University of California Berkley School of Law. There staff has filed hundreds of Freedom of Information Requests to gain access to ICE data.
Rev. Paul Hudock, Hispanic minister at St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in Star City and Immaculate Conception Parish of Clarksburg, said he had received credible reports of raids happening in Lewisburg, Beckley, Huntington, Harrison, Monongalia, Jefferson and Berkeley counties. Hudock, who is an advocate for West Virginia’s immigrant community, said he was not against law enforcement or the federal government pursuing undocumented immigrants who have committed serious felonies. But said, the Trump administration has expanded its scope to target people who have become integral parts of the community.
“You can have a young person who is here, they’ve entered the country illegally, they’ve committed a federal misdemeanor, which is equal to trespassing,” he said. “They’re here, but they haven’t been involved in any further type of bad behavior. They’re here and they’re in our communities, they’re working hard, paying all kinds of taxes, but not getting any services. They can’t get health insurance, they can’t get Medicaid or federal housing assistance. They’re living below the radar but they’re working and making a contribution to society.”
Hudock said the way ICE operates is it researches the locations it wants to raid ahead of time to develop a high degree of certainty that when they enter a business, there will be people who are undocumented. Sometimes, ICE looks for specific individuals. In one high profile incident on Tuesday, agents notified the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office of a Dodge Ram pickup truck that failed to use its turn signal. The vehicle sped onto the highway at around 100 mph after fleeing a traffic stop. Deputies later arrested two men in Bridgeport. Federal agents took one man into custody.
It’s unclear if the driver was an undocumented immigrant, since the driver, named Dontae Levi Wilson, is noted as being from Morgantown. Wilson was arraigned by Harrison County. The identity of the other man held by federal authorities has not been released. On Wednesday, Harrison County Commissioners expressed concern over the high speed chase.
One Cabell County resident, who requested his name be withheld due to his work as an immigration activist, said ICE does its best to hide what it’s doing from the public.
“What they do is reprehensible, and they know it,” he said. “They can parade around national security and just getting rid of crime all they want, but the evidence does not line up to anything they say. We know what it is. It’s not for crime. The purpose is racism, prejudice and bigotry.”
Gov. Patrick Morrisey has defended the state’s 287(g) partnership under the justification that ICE is targeting drug dealers, which impacts the state’s substance abuse problem. The Cabell County resident, however, said the state doesn’t benefit from the partnership. He said people who work in Mexican restaurants are afraid to go to work. He also pointed out the hypocrisy of people who support what ICE is doing while also dining at Mexican restaurants.
While many comments left on articles about the raid on Taqueria Lou Lou expressed glee, Fonseca thanked those from her community who expressed support. The store hours have changed, with reduced weekday hours and closure on weekends. Fonseca has asked for privacy during this time. However, she has also stepped up, asking the community to support other Mexican restaurants in the region, such as El Rey, Las Trancas, El Rincon and Don Patron. On Wednesday, more reports came in that ICE was at more restaurants in the Clarksburg and Bridgeport area.
“I am brokenhearted of the events that took place today,” Fonseca wrote in her statement. “These people came to Christmas. We celebrated birthdays. They came on a dime’s notice if we needed help. They have family. They are friends. They are PEOPLE.”
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