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MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (WSYX) — A beloved local restaurant in Knox County remains closed this week following a Homeland Security Investigations raid that led to the detention of five employees, according to Homeland Security officials.

Pancho’s Tacos, located in Mount Vernon, was raided by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on Thursday, October 9. According to city officials, HSI executed the operation based on a tip regarding undocumented immigrants working at the restaurant.

Sources close to the business tell ABC 6 News that five employees were detained while working in the restaurant’s kitchen by armed HSI officials.

“On October 9, ICE conducted an enforcement operation to further a criminal investigation and arrested five illegal aliens, three of which had been removed previously and chose to illegally re-enter the U.S.—a felony,” said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “During the arrest, a bystander attempted to obstruct law enforcement from leaving the area and one of the illegal aliens resisted arrest resulting in lacerations and bruises to two of our law enforcement officers. Our law enforcement officers are facing a more than 1000% increase in assaults against them as they carry out operations and work without pay.”

According to White House statistics, ICE arrested 32,809 illegal immigrants within President Trump’s first 50 days in office.

Community Support and Outrage

The raid sparked an outpouring of support from the Mount Vernon community, including a protest organized over the weekend in defense of the restaurant’s staff.

“They aren’t going after the gang members, but they’ll go after somebody who’s cooking tacos in Mount Vernon?” said Carol Contreras of Mount Vernon.

Contreras expressed concern about the broader implications of the raid.

“I worry about what’s happening to our democracy,” she said. “Yes, close the borders, but at the same time fix the immigration laws.”

Contreras’s late husband was of Mexican descent and says he would “be angry” about the events happening in Knox County.

“President Trump loves chaos and the more chaos he creates, the more fear he creates,” Contreras told ABC 6. “A populace that’s fearful can’t think straight, and so they can’t reason rationally about what’s happening, and I worry about America.”

“For an organization to come in what seems like such a violent manner to these men who are coming to work in the community, taking them away, and not really knowing what’s next,” explained Heather Griffith, restaurant supporter. “We don’t know documentation status of these immigrants’ families.”

Others echoed her frustration, including protest organizer Andrew Conner.

“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, I just want them to be here legally,’” Conner said. “But the legal process to get here is so long and arduous. Most people can’t even do it.”

Conner told ABC 6 that more than 150 protestors rallied behind Panchos Tacos.

“We just saw that there was a need for genuine leftist politics here in a red county,” Conner said. “There’s definitely an appetite for left-wing politics, even here in Knox County.”

Restaurant Remains Closed

The Mount Vernon location of Pancho’s Tacos remains shuttered. A reopening date has not been announced. When contacted, staff at the restaurant’s Bellville location declined to comment on the legal case or confirm whether any illegal activity took place.

Griffith told ABC 6 the situation has shaken the sense of safety in the community.

“I’ve never felt unsafe around any of the immigrant families I’ve known,” Griffith said. “But now, I feel like that feeling of safety has been pulled away.”

Knox County Commissioners Drenda Keesee and Barry Lester did not respond to request for comment. Sheriff Daniel Weckesser did not respond to ABC 6’s media inquiry on whether they were notified prior to the federal raid. Commissioner Bill Pursel was unavailable.

HSI has also not responded to inquiries from ABC 6 News regarding the incident or video of the operation.

A Community Divided

For many in Mount Vernon, the incident has highlighted tensions around immigration enforcement and local values.

“I’ve never seen anybody point to a statistic saying that deporting all of these immigrants is genuinely going to help the US economy,” Conner added. “Nobody has shown me a statistic showing how we’re going to make the economy better and it starts with deporting the immigrants?”

“We have to acknowledge that there are barriers—visible or invisible,” said Griffith. “People want to feel safe. People want to feel accepted.”

As the restaurant remains closed and questions linger, supporters of Pancho’s Tacos say they will continue to stand by the detained employees.

ABC 6 requested comment from the Knox County Republican Party and did not hear back. There is no reopening date set by Pancho’s Tacos.