According to FOX 5 DC, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents visited the New Mexico Avenue location of Chef Geoff’s, where they reportedly asked to see I-9 employment verification forms. These documents are used to confirm that all workers are legally authorized to work in the United States. No arrests were made, and ICE did not take anyone into custody during the visit.
While the agency has yet to release a formal statement about the operation, the timing of the raid has many speculating it was part of an immigration enforcement surge across the D.C. metro area. Rumors about ICE activity have been circulating on social media for days according to reports, with warnings of raids targeting businesses and public areas in and around the nation’s capital.
The visit to Chef Geoff’s comes just weeks after a wave of ICE activity rattled communities in northern Virginia.
Chef Geoff’s, a well-known name in the D.C. dining scene, was founded by Geoff Tracy, the husband of longtime television journalist Norah O’Donnell. Tracy is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and operates several restaurants in the region. He and O’Donnell have been married since 2001 and have three children.
O’Donnell officially stepped down from her role as anchor and managing editor of CBS Evening News in January after a five-and-a-half-year tenure. She previously announced in mid-2024 that she would remain through the presidential election before shifting to a new role within CBS News. During her final broadcast, O’Donnell called the job “the honor of a lifetime” and was honored with a farewell tribute narrated by Oprah Winfrey.
A Georgetown University alumna, O’Donnell holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the school. She met Geoff Tracy — also a Georgetown graduate — during her first week on campus, in the New South cafeteria line.
“That was it right away,” Tracy said in a 2023 Georgetown University alumni interview. “In retrospect, it’s a little unbelievable I met the person I’ve been married to my entire life.”
The couple spent their early years at Georgetown studying together on the top floor of Lauinger Library and eventually getting married in 2001 at Dahlgren Chapel, six years after graduation.
Since returning to office in January, President Trump has overseen a dramatic expansion of ICE operations, with over 65,000 arrests reported in his first 100 days. Federal data shows that more than 2,200 of those arrested were alleged gang members, while nearly 500 were individuals accused or convicted of murder.
