Quiet sits over Chile & Chili’s Taqueria after safety concerns forced the popular spot to suspend operations. (Kyla Jackson/The FAMUAN)
Local activists sprang into action on Sept. 25th following an unexpected incident of ICE detentions that has the popular restaurant Chile and Chile’s Taqueria to close its West Tennessee location.
Partnering with Tallahassee’s Community Area Response Equipo (TCARE), the restaurant’s co-owner, Marco Tenorio, and local supporters turned the empty parking lot into a destination for advocacy last Wednesday.
For Tenorio, the business’s property became a gathering place where supporters could voice concerns and stand together following the enforcement action.
“What we want to do is participate with the community that has opened its doors to us,” Tenorio explained. “They [protestors] are able to express themselves in a way that they [undocumented workers] couldn’t.”
On Wednesday evening, protestors gathered along the sidewalk, holding signs, collecting donations for the detained workers’ families and legal aid, while expressing frustration over local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
A regular customer at Chile and Chilis Taqueria, Zolia Virgen Verduzco, was at the forefront of the crowd, leading chants, raising her voice alongside other demonstrators.
For Verduzco the moment was about more than simply showing up—It was about standing with her community.
“I was in shock to see the video, but I was not surprised by the actions of ICE,” she said. “It was important to show up because, as a community, we have to be united. We’re all being affected.”
Surveillance footage obtained from Chile and Chilies Taqueria captures employees fleeing the trailers as ICE officers approached, followed by a brief pursuit and the detention of three staff members. The three employees remain in custody, awaiting bond hearings.
In addition to supporting the business and its staff, organizers and speakers urged local officials to end the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and Tallahassee Police Department’s 287(g) agreement, which permits participating local officers to carry out certain federal immigration enforcement functions.
“We need to end 287(g) and not collaborate with immigration police to affect the rights of those just trying to make a living,” said Regina Joseph, a general member of TCARE.
She continues to urge others to speak up and support future initiatives around Tallahassee for immigrant rights.
“Use your privilege to be the voice for those who may be afraid to. Something like this affects everybody because immigrants make this country exist,” said Joseph.
While operations at the West Tennessee Street food remain indefinitely suspended, management is urging customers to shift their support to the restaurant’s location inside the Governor’s Square Mall Food Court.
Community organizers have also launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise mutual aid for the families of the three detained workers.