A small group of Mexican restaurants in the Auburn-Opelika area, are currently being raided by law enforcement agencies in a series of immigration enforcement operations. According to WRBL in Columbus, Georgia, the effort is being led by Homeland Security Investigations in conjunction with efforts from local and state authorities.

RELATED: Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft responds to immigration raid at high school construction site

HSI Atlanta informed the public of the ongoing raids and said that they were part of an investigation into ‘multiple federal crimes.’

? Breaking: HSTF and state & local law enforcement executing federal search warrants across Alabama. The operation is part of an ongoing investigation into multiple federal crimes. There is no threat to public safety. More details will be released as available. pic.twitter.com/CO6qQrHiL2

— HSI Atlanta (@HSIAtlanta) July 15, 2025

One of the restaurants reportedly raided as of Tuesday afternoon is El Jefe, an establishment located near the Auburn-Opelika Mall. According to witnesses, federal agents, along with officers from the Auburn Police Department, entered the location after closing the area off. Additionally, Tiger Town’s El Patron has been raided.

Auburn PD will hold a press conference from their headquarters at 3 p.m. to provide an update on the raids. Also on hand for the conference will be agents with HSI, DEA, FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Austen Shipley is the News Director for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten