In the middle of breakfast at the west Omaha, Nebraska, location of popular eatery Early Bird, a man looked up from his plate to see a look of surprise on his wife’s face.
He turned around to see two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents hopping over the railing of the restaurant’s patio and tackling a young server.
They were dressed in tactical gear, their faces covered. The Omaha couple couldn’t hear what was said. No one screamed or yelled.
“There was a slight scuffle. They just took him to the ground, arrested him and drug him out of there,†said the customer who spoke to The World-Herald but asked to remain anonymous for fear his minority-owned local business could be targeted.
But the Omaha customer said the incident, which lasted just a few minutes and was captured on video and has since been shared widely on social media, is a moment he’ll never forget.
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“The look of dread on his face?†he said. “It would make any compassionate human being just cry.â€
Another customer helped handcuff the server, whom the U.S. Department of Homeland Security identified as Romero Editzar Yaxcal-Tiul.
In this screenshot of a video posted on the r/Omaha Reddit page, law enforcement officers are seen detaining and leading away a man from an Omaha restaurant.
In an emailed statement to The World-Herald, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Yaxcal-Tiul was in the country illegally from Guatemala and was working under a fraudulent name and Social Security number. McLaughlin said he had an earlier “immigration encounter†in 2022 involving false documents.
A search of federal and court records didn’t show any federal crimes or civil filings against a Romero Editzar Yaxcal-Tiul.
“Allegations that Romero Editzar Yaxcal-Tiul was ‘wrongfully taken by ICE’ are FALSE,†the statement from McLaughlin said. “President Trump and Secretary Noem’s message to illegal aliens is clear: LEAVE NOW.â€
DHS did not say where Yaxcal-Tiul was being held or provide specifics on the nature of his arrest.
Omaha Mayor-elect John Ewing and Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said they weren’t notified in advance of the ICE action. Ewing said Wednesday afternoon that city officials continued to gather facts about the incident.
“As a former Omaha Police Department deputy chief, I understand how this creates fear and this creates uncertainty,†Ewing said. “So we are going to be reaching out to ICE to see if there can be at least some coordination and making us aware of these things rather than the video and things that people have been circulating on social media. That’s not the way we want to do law enforcement in Omaha, Nebraska.â€
Schmaderer said the Police Department is notified by federal authorities when there’s a large-scale activity, if traffic control is needed or if there is a criminal warrant and the person involved is dangerous.
Ewing said he doesn’t want raids done in such a way that leaves the people of the community feeling like they are in jeopardy.
A has been created to raise funds for Yaxcal-Tiul’s legal fees. More than $8,000 had been raised by Wednesday afternoon.
Early Bird’s corporate office issued a statement, acknowledging that an employee was taken into custody. The incident started in the parking lot, the statement said, and ended in the covered patio area.
The company said it had no involvement or knowledge of the incident before it happened.
“We understand that this event may have caused concern or discomfort for our guests and staff who were present,†the statement said. “The safety and well-being of everyone in our establishment is our top priority. Our organization remains committed to treating all employees with fairness, dignity and respect while upholding all applicable laws.â€
No one from the restaurant returned a call from The World-Herald.
The Omaha couple said their waitress was in tears after the incident.
“Our server felt so bad. She was trying to serve us, and she was crying,†he said. “Many of them were distraught.â€
Most customers just backed away as the incident unfolded. He said the man who helped the ICE agents calmly returned to his breakfast.
The customer said he has no problems deporting violent criminals in the country illegally, as President Trump has stated was the goal, but he said there has to be a better and more humane system.
“We have to find a way to keep the hard workers around and keep the criminals out,†he said.
