ICE agents conducted an enforcement operation in Syracuse's Armory Square neighborhood on October 19, with witnesses reporting arrests occurring at Margarita's Mexican Cantina. Restaurant owner Alejandro Gonzalez said agents entered the closed restaurant around 9:45 a.m. while chasing someone, detaining two people without showing a warrant, though he said the restaurant was not the target of the operation. A member of the Syracuse Immigrant and Refugee Defense Network said an unreleased video shows an agent blocking the restaurant's entrance and ignoring a bystander's question about whether agents had a warrant. DHS confirmed four people were arrested in the targeted operation but would not confirm the exact location or whether all four were apprehended at the restaurant. Those arrested were identified as Ismael Espejo Sarmiento and Jonnathan Castro-Alay, both held pending removal proceedings; Hector Velsai Vasquez Perez, held pending voluntary departure; and Natividad Tania Ramirez Vasquez, held pending removal after an immigration judge issued a final removal order against her in April 2025.