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With what’s currently happening in the U.S. concerning ICE, some people won’t find it funny if you threaten to call the agency on them or hope they get deported. However, one Arizona taxi driver appeared unbothered as he casually threw out those words during a heated sidewalk confrontation, and it was all caught on camera.
Here’s What Happened
A TikTok video uploaded by user sj_lift_7 shows the taxi driver on a busy street corner at night, holding up his phone to record while arguing with the man behind the camera. Only the driver is visible on screen, though both are filming the exchange. The full context of what caused the tension isn’t clear, as the clip opens mid-argument with the driver saying, “You’re illegally soliciting rides right now,” and the filmer replying, “So are you.” At one point, the driver leans in with his phone, seemingly trying to get a closer shot of the TikToker’s face. When he asks for the other man’s name, the question is thrown right back at him.
There’s more back and forth before the driver suddenly says, “Go back to whatever shithole country you came from. We don’t want you here.” The other man, stunned, shouts, “Oh, hell no. You didn’t say that,” to which the driver responds, “I did say that.” He also adds that he hopes the other man gets reported and deported. Calling the moment “crazy,” the filmer listens as the driver keeps going, saying, “I’ll be on your ass every time you’re out.”
The confrontation ends when the driver puts a cigarette in his mouth, pockets his phone, and pedals away on his bicycle taxi while the filmer laughs in disbelief at what just happened. In the video’s caption, the uploader wrote, “Can’t believe I’ve had to face this. Use to [sic] seeing videos of people being racist on social media but today I can’t believe it happened to me.”
Here’s What Netizens Had To Say About the Confrontation in Arizona
One netizen wrote that this kind of behavior feels emboldened by the current administration, adding, “I pray that these four years hurry up.” Another commented, “I’m so sorry that you had to experience that.” A third person reassured the filmer that the driver doesn’t represent Arizona, saying, “Hey my friend, he doesn’t speak for us here. You are welcomed.” One other person other urged him to “stop allowing racist people to treat you that way.”
Some also mocked the driver for his appearance and how he left the argument. One comment read, “Unc is upset he has a beer belly and you are actually in shape,” while another joked, “The way he peddles away in flip flops like he absolutely ate down in that altercation.” Others questioned the logic behind the outburst, asking, “Don’t he make money off tourists?”
The overall sentiment leaned toward frustration over how comfortable the driver felt making such remarks, with a netizen adding, “Wonder why he’s so comfortable being so hateful… This administration has really made it okay to be this way.”
