Sarah Fowler

The Clarion-Ledger

Fifty five people are being detained in immigration raids at Mississippi restaurants.

According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Thomas Byrd, the raids Wednesday were the result of federal criminal search warrants as part of a year-long investigation.

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Byrd would not give specifics on those taken into custody, including gender. However, he said all of those detained were restaurant employees. Byrd did not have an immediate breakdown of how many people were detained at each restaurant.

All 55 were undocumented.

Those detained Wednesday are in ICE custody but Byrd would not give their exact location. He said each of the detained "should have already been afforded the opportunity to speak with a lawyer."

The majority of restaurants affected were part of the Ichiban chain of Chinese restaurants, Byrd said. The raids occurred in Jackson, Flowood, Pearl and Meridian. A China Buffett in Pearl was also a target of the search warrants.

China Buffet II and Sake Sushi were the two Meridian restaurants involved, according to The Meridian Star.

Byrd would not say what evidence was collected from the scene, citing an ongoing investigation.

Contact Sarah Fowler at 601-961-7303 or sfowler@gannett.com . Follow her on Facebook and Twitter .