A federal judge imposed an eight month prison sentence in the immigration case of a south Minneapolis Mexican restaurant owner whose business was raided by federal agents in June, sparking protests along Lake Street.
Francisco Estrada-Deltaro, the primary owner of Las Cuatro Milpas restaurants in Bloomington and Minneapolis, was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis after pleading guilty two weeks ago to illegally re-entering the United States despite having been removed from the country. Following his time in prison, he will be deported to his home country of Mexico.
In handing down his sentence, U.S. District Judge David Doty weighed whether to issue a prison term for Estrada-Deltaro or sentence him to time served, which would forgo additional time in prison and expedite Estrada-Deltaro’s deportation.
“Why are we going to put him in prison for a couple months when he’ll be sent back to Mexico, anyway?” Cascarano asked, calling an expedited deportation “common sense.”
Doty acknowledged the point as a “good argument” but said he ultimately placed more weight on deterrence versus punishment in Estrada-Deltaro’s case, noting his history of illegally re-entering the U.S.
“What I can tell you is I love this country, but I’m never going to come back over the border. … I just want to go back home,” he said.
Doty responded he hopes “that’s true and at the same time, I must say… I’ve heard that before.”
Estrada-Deltaro’s restaurant along Lake Street was one of eight locations searched by federal agents around the Twin Cities on June 3 as part of a larger investigation into drug crimes, human trafficking and money laundering by a “transnational criminal organization.” The investigation was sparked by the discovery of 900 pounds of meth tucked into a storage unit in Burnsville, according to court records.
The swarming of armed federal agents onto the south Minneapolis intersection prompted protesters to converge at the restaurant under the impression an immigration raid was underway. The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged one protester, Isabel Lopez, with assaulting a law enforcement officer in the aftermath of the chaotic encounter between officers and civilians.
No arrests were announced in the broader criminal investigation after the searches. Estrada-Deltaro was taken into custody at his home following the raids in connection with his illegal reentry charge. It remains unclear what ties, if any, he or the restaurant has to the larger investigation. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment on whether he’ll face charges in the ongoing investigation.
Cascarano told the Minnesota Star Tribune after the hearing that he doesn’t believe his client will be implicated in connection with the June searches.
“He’s not connected to any larger drug operation, and the government hasn’t done anything at this stage of the game,” he said.
Estrada-Deltaro was born in the Mexican state of Zacatecas and arrived in Minnesota in 2000, according to Twin Cities magazine Heavy Table. His restaurant in Minneapolis grabbed the public’s attention with signs and murals on the awning that read, “Make tacos, not walls.” In most news articles, ads and business filings, he went by the name “Hector Hernandez” or “Hernandez Solis.”
Prosecutors detailed his extensive criminal history in court filings that included a 2022 felony conviction for “threats of violence,” another for fleeing officers more than 20 years ago and multiple driving-related offenses.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the charges are just the first stemming from a large scheme to bill the state for autism treatment services that were never provided.