A popular Japanese restaurant in Columbus said in a social media post that U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested three workers during a recent raid.
Hiro Ramen & Tea, located at 4800 Sawmill Road, addressed the arrests in a story posted on its Facebook page.
“Hiro Ramen was raided by ICE agents yesterday morning,” the post says. “They arrested 3 members of our staff without a warrant.”
The post says that ICE performed the arrests in the restaurant parking lot without a warrant. It also sought to dispel rumors that restaurant owners called ICE on their own employees.
“We understand the hurt these raids cause, not just on the people arrested, but on the great community as a whole, and we feel it too. We’re still speechless at what is happening all over our country lately and we can only ask for your patience as we deal with our own fears of what has become a reality that has hit too close to home.”
“These are hardworking people who we have spent the past years working side by side creating Hiro with,” said the post.
Norman Ai, a spokesman for the restaurant, declined to address the incident when contacted by a reporter.
The restaurant had a delayed opening on July 16, opening at noon instead of its regular 11 a.m. opening time.
The post also references several additional ICE arrests targeting Asian restaurants in Columbus. ICE could not be reached for comment on the arrests as of the publication of this story.
This is a breaking news post and will be updated.
Reporter Sarah Sollinger can be reached at ssollinger@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus’ Hiro Ramen says ICE arrested three workers