WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were seen in the parking lot of Gorditas Norma, a Mexican restaurant in Wichita, on Friday. The incident prompted the co-owners to close and lock their doors to prevent customers from being questioned.
Norma and Maria Cabrales have co-owned the restaurant for 14 years. Their son translated their interview.
The co-owners said they did not know exactly why ICE officers were outside, but said a transportation bus that travels to Mexico stops at the location, and that officers asked the drivers for their immigration paperwork.
While the focus was on the bus, co-owner Norma Cabrales went live on social media to warn customers.
“She went live to tell people it wasn’t safe for some people to come. She knows a lot of her clients are immigrants, and she wouldn’t want to risk that,” her son said.
No one was taken into custody during the incident.
Community reaction
Brittney Castaneda, a customer who was at the restaurant Friday with her mother, said she did not expect to see officers outside.
“For them to just be here, it’s like, ‘what are you here for?’, you know,” Castaneda said.
Since the incident, Gorditas Norma has seen support from the community. Castaneda said that support matters.
“As a community, it’s something that we are used to, so the most we can do is just show support for these businesses, show support for these places and restaurants and just be more there for each other,” Castaneda said.
Message from the owners
The Cabrales said they love owning the restaurant and sharing their food with others. Their son relayed their message to the public.
“They can’t say anything to officials, but just to not treat us like criminals, that we’re not all criminals,” he said.
Copyright 2026 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com