Square Diner

Tribeca Diner Patrons Lobby on Behalf of Server Detained by ICE | Eater NY

"A server of seven years at the 100-year-old diner (33 Leonard Street, at Varick Street) was detained in late June and subsequently transferred from 26 Federal Plaza to New Jersey to Maryland and finally to the IAH Polk Adult Detention Facility in Livingston, Texas; originally from Ecuador, he has lived in New York for 35 years and holds green card status. Regulars, employees, and his family are clamoring for his release and return; a manager who spoke to him said they think there’s a chance he’ll be sent home "next week." He has secured a lawyer and advocates are working on his behalf: Tribeca resident and lawyer Kristopher Brown wrote a letter on June 30 to the ICE office at 25 Federal Plaza in which he says that Fernandez "was trying to abide by all U.S. laws, and asks for his release from custody 'as soon as possible,' noting that 'Luis is a beloved figure in our neighborhood, well known to our small community and always helpful and encouraging to patrons, neighbors, and others.'" A diner manager, Fernando Santos, said Fernandez is a father and "has a golden heart." Colleagues report that he spent three days and nights at 26 Federal Plaza and "was fed a bagel, a bottle of water, and a chocolate chip cookie each day," and Santos said, "Nothing else." Detainees allegedly slept on the floor; Gothamist reported immigrants in the holding center "complained of being unable to bathe or change clothes" and that the space is often "standing room only." DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Gothamist that the claims regarding 25 Federal Plaza were false: "All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers." When Tribeca Tribune reached out regarding Fernandez’s status, "an ICE media officer sent an email to say that a response to questions regarding Fernandez’s arrest and detention will be forthcoming." The Texas facility said it doesn’t provide information about inmates to reporters. The case is set against broader national context: a 2024 CMS study estimated that up to 8.3 million undocumented immigrants work in the U.S. economy (about 5.2 percent of the workforce), with roughly a million or more working in restaurants, and follows an uptick in ICE raids amid a new congressional appropriation that allocates around $170 billion for immigration enforcement plus $75 billion in additional funding for ICE." - Melissa McCart