Miami chef on chilling effect of immigration policy: TPS causes worker shortage; ICE detention scares customers
Video shows ICE agents detaining scooter rider outside Chef Creole in Little Haiti
MIAMI — A witness recorded a video showing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stopping a man who was riding a scooter and detaining him on Aug. 2 in Miami’s Little Haiti.
Haitian-Bahamian Chef Wilkinson “Ken” Sejour said ICE agents detained the scooter rider steps away from his restaurant Chef Creole, at 200 NW 54th St., and his customers were staying away.
Sejour, whose celebrity guests include the late Anthony Bourdain, said the witness’s video recorded near the drive-thru area prompted false rumors that ICE had raided his restaurant.
“You are taking key people, and now you are giving people the impression that it’s not even safe to come to my business,” Sejour said about the impact of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling on June 25 allowed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to end Temporary Protected Status for about 300,000 Haitians on July 27.
“Let’s take a little bit more time, let’s try to figure out how we can fix this without it hurting our economy as a whole,” Sejour said.
Sejour said the expiration of TPS work permits for Haitians hurt his workforce. His labor expenses had increased before the recent ICE detention nearby scared away customers.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
