Immigration raids occurred at local Auburn-Opelika Mexican restaurants on Tuesday, July 15, following an on-going, joint investigation by federal, state and local agencies. Authorities executed search warrants in relation to a federal indictment of fraud and abuse of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for 52-year-old Cesar Campos-Reyes, a potentially illegal resident of Lee County.
Reyes was indicted on four counts of bank fraud, four counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering related to the misuse of four PPP loans totaling around $225,000, which were loans intended to support small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. Although he initially fled authorities, he was arrested following a manhunt.
According to the federal indictment, Reyes is the resident agent of five Mexican restaurants, including El Patron of Pensacola, El Patron of Pace, El Patron Mexican Grill of Prattville, Mariachis Mexican Grill and El Rey de Todos Mexican Grill. El Jefe Mexican Cuisine, formerly El Rey de Todos Mexican Restaurant, reported in a Facebook post that Reyes has not been affiliated with the restaurant since 2023 and that El Jefe is now under new leadership.
14 raids took place across Lee, Macon, Autauga, Crenshaw and Baldwin counties as part of a joint investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Marshall and other law enforcement agencies. In the Auburn-Opelika area, raids were carried out at El Jefe, located on Opelika Road, as well as El Patron Mexican Grill and Como En Casa, both located in Tiger Town.
A press conference with representatives from each agency took place at the Auburn Police Department on Tuesday afternoon.
“Today’s operation is a culmination of a tremendous amount of collaboration between the state, local and federal levels of law enforcement. The investigation is layered in criminality to include financial fraud, narcotics, weapons and harboring of illegal alien charges,” said Sara Jones, FBI Special Agent in Charge. “Today is also a reflection of the Gulf of America Homeland Security Task Force’s commitment to keeping our communities safe.”
Authorities discovered distribution amounts of methamphetamine, crack cocaine, powder cocaine, assorted pills, at least 20 firearms and over $100,000 in cash during the raids. More than 40 allegedly illegal residents were detained, but authorities could not say whether those detained were involved in the criminal enterprise or employees of the restaurants.
“This is allegedly a transnational, organized entity that has committed this activity. This operation was not about any one offense, it was about dismantling a criminal ecosystem, one that profits off of the exploitation of people and the circumvention of our nation’s laws,” said Steven Schrank, HSI Special Agent in Charge. “Those crimes do not just hurt the individuals involved, but they harm communities. They undercut legitimate businesses, and they strain public resources. The hiring of individuals that are not authorized to work in the United States may seem like a labor issue to some, but let’s be clear, it’s a public safety issue. When employers knowingly hire illegal aliens, they create a magnet for exploitation, wage theft and unsafe conditions.”
Three other individuals were taken into federal custody. Two are being federally charged with harboring illegal aliens, while the third was taken in for unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.
In addition to the ICE raids reported by federal agencies, there have also been online reports by community members of a command center for the task force at the Auburn University Regional Airport. Local social media pages were pivotal in spreading awareness of ice raids that occurred in the area on July 15, as well as sparking divisive political discourse.
Trinity Alexander, senior in public relations and intern at a local boutique in Tiger Town, witnessed an ICE raid at Como En Casa during her lunch break. While driving by the restaurant, she saw a large Auburn PD presence and several unmarked, black SUVs. Alexander said the black SUVs resembled reports of other ICE raids reported across the country.
“When I first saw it, I got like this knot in my stomach, because all I could feel was empathy for those employees,” Alexander said. “All I could think about was how scared they must have been, and how sad it is that these are hard working people just trying to make a living for themselves and their families, and they're under such fire right now for what's going on in our country. And it's so different hearing about it on national news versus seeing it firsthand in your own community. It's just a really eerie feeling.”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Jennifer Santiago, junior majoring in political science and minoring in history, has been with The Auburn Plainsman since Fall 2024. Santiago previously served as a news writer, and she is currently serving as the Lifestyle Editor.
