Immigration authorities raid Poplar Bluff Chinese restaurant

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Immigration authorities arrested at least five individuals employed at a Poplar Bluff restaurant Wednesday morning as part of an ongoing criminal work-site enforcement operation.

Just after 10 a.m., agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could be seen entering and exiting the China Buffet Mongolian Grill in the Mansion Mall Marketplace, as well as a residence at 2808 Virginia Ave., the Daily American Republican newspaper reported.

The owner(s) of Mongolian Grill, which opened on Oct. 8, 2006, reportedly live on Virginia Avenue in Karmen Estates. The business license on file with the Poplar Bluff City Clerk lists Hua Huang as the owner as of June 2009.

"Agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are executing federal search warrants in the Poplar Bluff area as part of an ongoing criminal worksite enforcement operation," said Gail Montenegro with the ICE Office of Public Affairs in Chicago, Ill.

By 11:30 a.m., three men and two women were led out the back of the restaurant in handcuffs and put into a white van.

According to Montenegro, the enforcement operation is ongoing, and no further information could be released initially.

As ICE agents continued working inside, officers with the Poplar Bluff Police Department were manning the restaurant's front door Wednesday morning to turn customers away.