By SARA FURLONG

s.furlong@bradfordera.com

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were seen outside Taco Inc. at 27 Main St. in Bradford on Monday morning.

In addition to the ICE badge at left shoulder, the officers’ vests were emblazoned with ERO, presumably representing the Enforcement and Removal Operations division.

According to the ICE website, ice.gov, ‘As part of its critical mission, ERO manages all aspects of the immigration enforcement process, including the identification, arrest, detention and removal of aliens who are subject to removal or are unlawfully present in the U.S.’

Bradford City Police Chief Mike Ward said of the officers, ‘I was made aware of their presence this morning,’ adding he could offer no further comment except to direct all press inquiries to ICE’s Philadelphia community relations office.

Email messag-

ICE… page A-8

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers could be seen outside Taco Inc. on Main Street Monday morning.

Era photo by Sara Furlong left with both the Philadelphia office and national ICE Office of Public Affairs (OPA) remained unreturned by press time Monday. Further, voicemail and email messages left with the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General also were unanswered at press time.

Regional news outlets reported in late January that authorities in unmarked vehicles were investigating Taco Inc. locations in St. Marys, DuBois and Punxsutawney.

A group of workers milled about on Main Street in Bradford that afternoon and a man who asked to be identified as Miguel, who locked the door behind the group, indicated to The Era that the workers didn’t know much.

Miguel said in January that Bradford’s location employs about 12 people and he believed the issue had to do with paperwork, possibly taxes, and that he was not “scared of it.” He intended to report back the following day, as usual.

Bradford’s Taco Inc. — one of several in western Pennsylvania, with locations in DuBois, St. Marys and Punxsutawney — opened on Main Street in spring 2023.

Google search results for the business indicated the restaurant should be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays, according to a confirmation provided to Google by the business five weeks ago.

The sign glowing “Open” early Monday was dark by the afternoon and the front door was locked.