Updated: Another angle of the incident, captured in a video viewed by the River Reporter, showed a third person arrested in the incident. The story has been updated accordingly.

On Friday, May 30, Elegante released a statement, saying the arrested employees had legal asylum status  and asking the community for respect and kindness. Click here to view that statement.  The story has been updated to reflect this additional information. 

HONESDALE, PA — Three employees of Elegante Pizzeria in Honesdale were arrested by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents earlier today, Thursday, May 29.

ICE agents arrived in Honesdale around 11 a.m., with borough resident Connor Simon spotting six men in polo shirts, embroidered with ICE, standing outside the county courthouse around 11:10 a.m. They went into the courthouse, before coming back out and gearing up, according to borough mayor Derek Williams.

The agents went to Elegante just before noon, locking the doors and positioning cars at the front and the back of the building. Around 12:45 p.m., ICE agents led three Elegante employees in handcuffs out the back exit of the building, two man and one woman. One man appeared to be in good spirits; the woman brought her shirt up to cover her face.

ICE previously visited Elegante on March 29, and arrested Fermin Eslava-Burgos, a citizen of Venezuela. For more, visit: https://riverreporter.com/stories/ice-releases-name-of-man-taken-from-honesdale,196267

According to Elegante, Eslava-Burgos has since been released, as ICE determined he had legal asylum status. 

According to a statement from Elegante, "To our knowledge, each of these individuals has legal asylum status in the United States, and we are fully cooperating with the authorities as they conduct their investigation." Click here to view that statement in full. 

Williams said that, in visiting the courthouse, the agents acted differently from their previous visit, suggesting that they may have had a warrant.

Community members responded in force to the raid, with 20 to 30 Honesdale residents taking pictures and videos and questioning agents.

Agents refused to answer questions from press representatives and members of the public on the scene, and kept their faces covered. People looked in through the front windows and took pictures; ICE agents cordoned off the front of the building with caution tape, blocking the sidewalk and stating that anyone stepping over the tape would be arrested for obstruction, and put paper bags over the windows.

One resident told the River Reporter, "We shouldn't have to be watching… but we do have to."

"I wanted to see what they [ICE agents] really look like, and what the car looks like," she said.

She added that the raid made it clear that what citizens had been told about the protections of the rule of law did not apply.

Williams said he was a "big advocate of transparency" at all levels of government, and said that people should have their eyes on all levels of government at all times.

Update: Around 3:10, a Department of Homeland Security agent left out the back of Elegante. The agent and ICE agents brought out a computer tower and several boxes of papers.

On Friday, May 30, District Attorney  A. G. Howell told the River Reporter, "On Thursday, 05/29/2025, federal agents from Homeland Security served warrant(s) at a local business in Honesdale, Wayne County.   Two  detectives from the Wayne County District Attorney's Office provided assistance to the federal agents.   

"Regarding any further information, I am not at liberty to discuss the matter because it is an open investigation and a matter not being handled by my office. "