U.S. Border Patrol and other federal agents raided a Bangor restaurant on Thursday.
Border Patrol agents wearing masks, helmets, bulletproof vests and sunglasses while carrying guns were spotted outside a white passenger van near Kobe Ninja House Japanese Grill at 829 Hogan Road.
Other agents carried boxes of items out of the front door of the restaurant at roughly the same time.
This comes at a time when federal agents across the country are taking people that they say are undocumented immigrants into custody as part of President Donald Trump’s vow to crack down on “illegals.” The civil process is shrouded in secrecy and it’s unclear how often this happens across Maine.
The two agents wearing Border Patrol vests had badges. They were outside the white van near the backdoor of Kobe. A Bangor Daily News reporter was unable to see inside the vehicle because the windows were heavily tinted.
It’s unclear if any people were detained Thursday. A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection was unable to provide additional information at the time of publication.
No badges were visible on the 10 other agents who walked out of the restaurant and told reporters they work for the “federal government.” One person was wearing a bulletproof vest that said “HSI,” which stands for Homeland Security Investigations.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is part of Homeland Security.
The agents got into at least five vehicles, all of which had Maine license plates that did not identify them as government vehicles. There were no identifying markings on the vehicles.
Kobe turned away customers Thursday afternoon.
Rep. Amy Roeder, D-Bangor, came to the restaurant after hearing about the raid because she wanted to offer any help she could.
“Unfortunately for things like this, there’s very little help to offer,” Roeder said. “If the federal government wants to come in and take somebody, I guess they just can.”
Roeder said she wants to see Maine find a way to protect its residents and people who are visiting.
“If I were coming from another country to visit Maine, to visit anywhere in the U.S., I wouldn’t feel terribly safe right now,” Roeder said.
