By Brian Wright O’Connor
The impact of the federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants has taken a vicious turn as the popular Peka Restaurant in Brighton has recently been targeted with false rumors of ICE raids, scaring off clients and sowing fear among employees.
Katiuska Valiente, owner of the family restaurant, bar, and live-music venue on Washington Street, came on El Mundo Boston’s La Hora del Café livestream broadcast on Tuesday to make clear that no officers from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement have descended on the eatery.
She said a series of false social media posts have damaged her successful business and—without naming names—blamed competitors in Boston’s tight-knit Latino food industry for being complicit in disseminating the spurious rumors.
“In the last few days, an ill-intentioned lie has been circulated, saying that ICE officers arrived at Peka Restaurant in search of undocumented immigrants,” said Valiente, who opened the establishment in 2020. “What we are talking about is a bad rumor, a rumor that causes harm.”
Valiente said the spread of disinformation about ICE raids began just before Valentine’s Day last month and immediately resulted in about 80 cancellations of reservations.
A U.S. citizen and former Univision journalist raised and educated in Caracas, Valiente said she has proof of a fellow Venezuelan being the principal source of the rumors and is pursuing legal redress.
“I will take this to the end,” she said. “Nobody is going to hurt me, the peace of my employees, the peace of my clients, because all my life I have worked for the community.”
While adamant about seeking justice, she said her main reason for coming on the air was to “raise awareness in our Latino community.”
“I speak to you with all my heart because what is happening in this moment is not just gossip, it is not just any rumor. It is a direct attack against our Latino community,” said Valiente.
Peka is not the only Latino restaurant forced to deal with reports of ICE action in the months since President Donald Trump took office and amplified arrests that have swept up immigrants with criminal records along with undocumented migrants whose only legal violation is the civil offense of crossing the border without authorization.
El Jardin in East Boston was the victim of an anonymous call to ICE, leading to officers showing up at the business asking for employees’ papers.
In this case, owner Walter Castañeda, who was well-versed in his rights, politely declined to cooperate unless they provided a court-issued warrant. They did not, and no one was arrested, but the damage had been done.
Castañeda felt compelled to post a video and appear on La Hora del Café to explain the incident and to assure his clients that it was safe to eat at his family place across from Liberty Square in East Boston.
Concerns about ICE arrests, already high as Trump took office, ramped up after policy changes allowed agents to go into churches, schools, and healthcare facilities to detain those without papers.
Social media posts from Sacramento and Phoenix to Washington, D.C., and Durham, N.C., have gone viral with warnings of ICE agents lurking around food pantries, stores, and public transit stops, according to numerous media reports.
The rumors, traveling at the speed of light over the internet, have impacted not just communal venues but also industries that rely on lower-wage immigrant labor to build homes, pick produce, and care for seniors.
Close to 20% of the U.S. labor force is foreign-born, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics—about 32 million out of 169 million. Of those immigrants, over 8 million work without legal documents.
While promising tough action against all undocumented migrants, Trump has also begun suspending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for migrants from countries facing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary dangers. Millions of immigrants are in jeopardy of deportation if TPS is revoked for those having fled from the 15 countries on the TPS list, including El Salvador and Nicaragua.
The administration suspended TPS for Venezuelans and Haitians last month, putting over one million migrants at risk of being forced out of the U.S.
Valiente acknowledged the toll the current environment is taking on her 21-member staff, who prepare the food, serve the customers, and staff the weekend dance nights where live bands and DJs pump out the rhythms of Latin America until 2 a.m. in the colorfully appointed interior.
“These false statements have not only affected my business, my community, and my team, but they have also deeply impacted families—mothers, fathers, and children—who now live in fear,” she said.
“I have employees who can’t stop watching through the windows, constantly afraid, and others who have called me saying they’re too scared to come to work.”
Julia Carpi and Aaron Bolonick contributed to this report.
