The FBI was on-site at the Hausman Pass location of Delia’s Tamales in San Antonio on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old chain restaurant originated in McAllen and has dubbed itself the “best tamale maker in Texas."
It has been under fire since August 2023 facing allegations of wage theft in a lawsuit filed by former employees. However, the FBI would not confirm if the search was related to those allegations.
An FBI spokesperson said, “I can confirm that we are performing court-authorized law enforcement activity in the vicinities of 1604 and Hausman in San Antonio, 10th and 23rd Streets in McAllen, and Jackson Road in Pharr.”
The addresses are all Delia’s locations.
By early Wednesday morning, Delia’s was closed and many vehicles pulled in off 1604 and staff could be seen speaking to FBI agents through the windows.
The FBI agents were seen walking inside the restaurant holding binders and interviewing Delia’s workers and removing boxes from the store.
The company that owns Delia’s Tamales, Delgar Foods LLC, is facing a federal wage theft lawsuit from more than 20 former employees, some of whom are undocumented.
The lawsuit was originally filed in state court last August but moved to federal court in McAllen three months later.
According to federal court documents, the suit alleged that Delia’s Tamales conducted illegal paycheck deductions, created a scheme involving the creation of fake social security cards for employees who are undocumented, would only employ individuals up to a certain age, and would threaten to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement on employees who appealed terminations.
