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Rochester’s Asian-American community has been left scrambling for answers after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers raided the Asia Food Market in Henrietta Wednesday morning.
Shoppers first spotted U.S. Customs and Border Patrol vehicles just after 9:30 a.m., with federal agents quickly swarming the premises. A mix of marked and unmarked cars were spotted in the parking lot. Bystanders attempted to make calls as ICE detained those inside the store, located at 1885 Brighton Henrietta Town Line Road.
For Sebastian Nimeh, a bystander, spotting vehicles associated with immigration enforcement prompted his attempt to enter the premises before being stopped by a CBP officer.
Nimeh claims he saw multiple individuals being detained before the raid was concluded, and contacted the Rochester Rapid Response Network community defense hotline to notify them of immigration enforcement activity. It is unclear how many individuals were detained or where they were taken.
The Asia Food Market, left without employees or internet service, promptly closed after the raid before resuming operations that afternoon. Fearing retaliation, employees declined to speak to the Beacon.
“I try to be optimistic about these type of things, but I really felt so hopeless and defeated,” Nimeh says. “(ICE) just came into my community, into my backyard, and went to a beloved establishment.”
After the raid, families and bystanders scattered throughout the parking lot as unmarked vehicles transported unknown individuals, moving quickly to avoid being identified. An ICE spokesperson confirmed multiple arrests were made at locations in Rochester and Buffalo. Employees at Asia Food Market locations in Syracuse and Ithaca reported no ICE activity at their stores.
“On July 30, 2025, ICE Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo, in coordination with partners including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the FBI, conducted court-authorized law enforcement activity at multiple locations in western New York,” the spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. “Due to the ongoing nature of this criminal investigation, we cannot provide additional information at this time.”
Left without answers, Nimeh and other bystanders questioned how a long-time establishment could have been targeted by ICE.
“I just couldn’t help but think about those older Asian people that I saw who weren’t getting arrested,” added Nimeh. “This might be their children, their cousin, their nephew. And their life had just been turned upside down in a matter of 20 minutes.”
Narm Nathan is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and a member of the Oasis Project’s inaugural cohort. David Wazana is a member of the Oasis Project’s second cohort.
The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. See “Leave a Reply” below to discuss on this post. Comments of a general nature may be submitted to the Letters page by emailing [email protected].
Why can’t they just leave everybody breaking the law alone. It would save billions on police and incarceration.
Well, there are laws and there are laws and not all are the same, nor are the penalties.
When you say you are proud to be a Liberal, I believe you. If my black friends are bothered by a white person saying “I’m not a racist but,” they know I will listen, but it’s not happening. Combining two sentances I wrote on separate topics to twist the storyline into something it’s not, to prove a suposed point is something only a Liberal would do to fan the flames of racism. Your strategy failed among the majority Americans which is why Trump was elected. NAFTA caused thousands of Americans to lose their jobs, mine included as well as blacks. They went to Mexico. That trade deal wasn’t looking out for Americans, it was exporting American jobs. Conversely Trump is creating American jobs through tarrifs, by bringing overseas money into American manufacturing production in order to avoid tarrifs. Big difference. And to bring this conversation full circle and back on topic, I realize you Liberals might still be in control of the Democratic party and that you are upset that there is a new sherrif in town despite spending a billion campaign dollars on your failed undemocraticly selected candidate. Fortunately a majority of Americans did not like the direction of our country that Liberals were taking us and the result was to return to a law and order state of affairs. I know Liberals do not accept this reality and will continue to fight against it, as expressed by our opposing views about the ICE raids in Henrietta and elsewhere. To a majority of us voters it is a breath of fresh air compared to the previous administrations policies and a return to normalcy. Yesterday was Trumps 200th day in office, and justice and accountability are going to be in the news cycles over the next 200 days. To quote a well known black man, “I pity the fools!” who chose to undermine the will of We The People.
Talk about combining separate topics to twist a storyline. I, like most of Labor, are lesser of two evils Democrats. It was the white wing that took a political system with not enough law and order for lobbyists and donors and opened the flood gates. They believe the Bill of Rights are property rights and corporations are people. A billion-dollar campaign for Harris? Musk alone spent that on Trumpers with over a quarter of a billion to Trump alone.
NAFTA was negotiated and signed by H.W. Bush before he left office. It had to be approved by Congress and almost every Republican voted for NAFTA and neo-liberal Clinton lobbied the House hard, promising money for district projects to get about the 15 votes needed. Labor was marching in the streets and making calls up to and during the vote. I know I was in those streets with them. The crime statistics don’t support your statements. Immigration is and has been a civil offense. Trump made it criminal when people who had applied via an asylum application were denied, sometimes while in transit. They thought they could apply or talk to someone at the border or came anyway. Trump thinks applying for asylum means they are coming from insane asylums, and he says it over and over, sometimes of course stating criminal insane asylums. A genius.
Once their application was denied, not via the immigration court, and the now came over the border, this crossing became a so-called crime. It’s illegal to employ undocumented workers. Have you seen one employer arrested yet? China and other countries did not steal our jobs. Trump and his one percent cabal moved them there for greed, cheap labor and few regulations protecting worker and communities. George W. and the GOP, again aided by some neo liberal Dems, achieved equality for China in trade and fifty thousand factories closed. Manufacturing jobs under Trump have already seen significant decline. Trump has about a dozen billionaires in his cabinet and many multi-millionaires who you expect will change the system that made them filthy rich so it will be more just for workers. That is like expecting a multiple felon, a convicted assaulter/harasser of women, and civil suit settlements with parents of children for rape, closed by non-disclosure agreements (all a matter of record) to protect America’s women and children. The facts, backed by real data, do not support anything you say. Facts do not matter in a cult. I only reply so others may read and think about the issues.
You have missed the point Mr. Hillyard. They came illegally via ports of entry as well, with fake papers. If they did not have papers and were white, no one chased them down and it’s still the case. I believe I did mention the many who are here legally on work or student visas have been arbitrarily made illegal and detained by ICE. When Trump tried to do this his first term he was stopped by the courts due to our laws and international treaties for refugees. These new post WW II agreements were made due to many countries denying entry to Jewish refugees, including the USA, and sending them back to Germany or German occupied countries. Trump was granted a temporary reprieve on keeping people out only because of Covid and all borders shutting around the world to prevent the spread of disease during a pandemic. Biden turned many away and deported many but honored the law. He agreed to a Republican Bill on immigration in Congress but it went down by Trump’s demand so he could have a campaign issue. He did not care then who was coming in before the election. People seeking to come “the right way” from the Mediterranean Basin and Africa
were kept out by a quota system that was nearly whites only by about 1921. Asia already had laws keeping them out going back to the 19th century’s Chinese Exclusion Act. I could go on but one actually has to read history books. The worst immigrants were the people who brought slaves in chains and murdered and stole the lands from people who had been here 20,000 years. In my view there are no illegal earthlings, the earth belongs to all of us. Restrictions are for those who are a proven threat to the safety of others. However, and based on fact, the number one criminals/terrorists/murderers in our history are white Christians aligned with slavers, and then white supremacy groups. I am all for deported these so-called citizens.
Wow, just wow! Your hypocrisy is amazing. On one hand you say that “there are no illegal earthlings”, yet you go back 20,000 years to define them. You acknowlege restrictions for proven threats are good, but only for whites in America due to actions of people long dead. Does your history lesson include the Civil War? Our country has dealt with that issue. Our country is not perfect, I’m not suggesting that it is or always has been. Don’t put that on me. Trump was criticized for closing down our border by Democrats during Covid-19. Democrats are still fighting against Trump removing criminal illegal aliens who pose a threat to Americans through rogue Federal Judges, yet Trump is using a law signed by Bill Clinton on September 30, 1996 called the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, (IIRIRA) which allows for deportation without a judicial hearing through a process called “expedited removal”. Democrats didn’t have a problem back then when THEY were in power, but now are trying to make the arguement that Trump doing the very same thing is anti Democracy Nazi-ism. Slavery began in Africa with Black Tribes selling each other. I have black friends, neighbors and co-workers and I’m not racist. But I’ve found that trying to reason with a Liberal is like speaking into a Black Hole, nothing is ever gained from doing so. Peace out!
The slave trade had nothing to do with the hundreds of slavers kidnapping Africans and was due to a few sales of conquered neighbors? Progressives Clinton as neo-liberal deregulating banks, Wall St, and getting NAFTA through. We call him one of the least damaging Republican Presidents. Thousands of immigrant whites are not having their legal status revoked and being arrested. Immigration reform, tariffs, and the power of the purse are powers belonging to Congress, not the Executive Branch. He began it on day one BEFORE Congress authorized any funds for some of his unilateral actions. ” If by “Liberal” they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people-their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights and their civil liberties-someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by liberal, then I’m proud to say I’m a Liberal.” JFK. Conservatives were on the wrong side of the American Revolution, the Civil War, Slavery, WW II (until Pearl Harbor), minimum wages, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the list goes on. You might want to ask your “Black friend what they think when a white person says, ” I’m not a racist but ” means to them. The more you write the more you reveal Sir.
So glad to hear consequenses are being brought to Monroe County. Rochester’s Sanctuary City status ignores established immigration laws that Democrats wish to subvert. We know Democrats want the illegals to be counted in the next Census in order to gain more seats in Congress. If these people did not enter our country legally (which I am all for by the way) it does not matter if they are behaving or are friendly, they had an opportunity to enter legally and they chose not to. Anyone gathered up in ICE enforcement efforts will be given a chance to prove citizenship status, and if it exists will be released upon conformation. That’s how existing law works and is ONCE AGAIN being followed. There are no victims, only consequenses for lawbreakers, just as there is for any other lawbreaker. We The People voted for this RETURN to a lawfull government. It’s as simple as that. There is more accountability to come so pace yourselves, you ain’t seen nothing yet!
Actually, many were legal who have been abducted. They were here on legal student visas and work permits that were arbitrarily rescinded. Many were picked up in courthouses where they were reporting as required by their status and picked up in the process of completing steps for citizenship. The majority taken have never been in trouble with the law. Everyone sees how this law works, PARDON ME. Facts matter. No further response is needed as you reveal who you are.
If here on a student visa, yet were working instead, I understand why their visa’s were revoked! It’s called false pretenses, or in other words, lying on the visa form. So, where ever they were found by ICE is when the deportation would begin. It’s a good thing that there is now followup by a government interested in maintaining immigration laws because we’ve seen how much Biden allowed to be ignored. Thank you for pointing out how one of the scams was being run!
Except if they were white European Christians who came for over a century and a half, even if they were fleeing their debts, the draft, or the law like Trump’s grandparents. Trump’s Gestapo is still not looking for any white Christians unless they exercise speech he does not like. I bet that there are many black and brown nude models that get Einstein visas as well.
There were many nationalities who came to Ellis Island, and for many reasons. The potato famine comes to mind but just for a new opportunity, which started with entry into the immigration port and registration. Much different than during the Biden administration. Thanks for reminding people the contrast of doing things right and lawfully versus crossing the border by skirting the ports of entry. You continue to justify my observations!
Trumps personal Gestapo ICE. Is made up of many of the people he pardoned from the assault on our countries Capitol in an attempt to overthrow our presidential election. These people are the real criminals. Unlike the hard working people they are kidnapping off our city streets without warrants or due process. What our government should be doing is going after the pedophiles in our country that absolutely devastated children’s lives. They won’t do that because we are being ruled by a convicted felon. … He pardons despicable people and pursues hard working foreigners. Simply seeking a better life for themselves and their children. Everything he is doing is simply to create distractions away from the real criminals. Himself, and the rest of his spineless heelhounds. They all are traitorous scum.
From the article: “Left without answers, Nimeh and other bystanders questioned how a long-time establishment could have been targeted by ICE.” There is no safety for “illegals” any more. Even those who are attempting to follow the law by going to court as directed are being scooped up by ICE. I watched Homan give a statement to the press a couple of days ago. It’s obvious that he has no remorse for breaking families apart, for disrupting communities. He is carrying out the orders of his dear leader with alacrity.
Trump’s Gestapo. The majority being picked up by ICE “contractors” have no criminal records and have been picked up doing what conservatives say is immigrating the right way. They are picked up at when reporting to immigration or court houses on the way to citizenship by masked, no ID punks with all due process ignored and denied. In the GOP Big Beautiful Bill ICE went from $3.7 billion annually to over $40 billion this year, over $140 billion over ten years.
Even immigrants with some brushes with the law do not have 34 felony convictions with many more felonies pending. My parents were birthright citizens, so will that extend to the following generations? Unless in service to Trump, like hundreds of January 6 terrorists or white-collar rich campaign contributors, you will not be pardoned. “What are you gonna do when they come for you?”
This is so egregious! Damn ICE!
If they found illegal immigrants and removed them from this establishment I say GOOD JOB ICE👍🏻
And what if they were neither illegal nor “dangerous criminals,” but were taken away with no opportunity to prove their innocence? You OK with that?
I hope we find out where ICE took these employees. Many of them have been residents in my Henrietta neighborhood. They have not been seen back here since the raid on Wednesday.
Trump’s thugs strike again. The line, “Papers, let me see your papers!” (spoken with a German accent) used to be just a joke in America. Just like the line “guilty until proven innocent”. Not any more. Not under the Trump regime. Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer!
This is disgusting. If we don’t do something soon, we will be another Nazi Germany of the past.
Thank you, real news reporting