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Devastated Ulta Employee Fired and Deported for Attending Anti-ICE Protest in Minnesota: ‘Everything I Built Here Erased Because I Stood up for What’s Right!’

Not her being fired for exercising her right

Fiyin OlowokandiBy 3 Mins Read
Image Source: bellajalgwn/TikTok

It would appear that the First Amendment is almost non-existent in the U.S. these days. A former employee of an Ulta store in Minneapolis, Minnesota, decided to speak her truth and reveal company secrets after she was fired and subsequently deported for standing up for what she believed in. 

@bellajalgwn

I just got fired from Ulta after four years working at the Minneapolis store. I had my work permit, paid my taxes, did everything right. I followed every rule. But after my manager found out I went to an ICE protest downtown, everything fell apart. Someone from work must have told them, because the next day I got pulled into the office. They said I broke company policy. By the end of that day my badge didn’t scan anymore. I thought that was it, just another story of Ultafiring people for speaking up. But a few days later, ICE showed up at my house. I told them over and over that I had a valid permit, that I’d been working legally in Minnesota for years. They said there were issues with my paperwork and that they had to take me in. It didn’t even feel real. One week I was restocking shelves and helping customers in Minneapolis, and the next I was being put on a plane out of the country. I was fired and deported. Four years of loyalty, overtime, skipped breaks, helping coworkers all gone in days. Inside Ulta, people get written up for taking too long in the bathroom. Promotions go to favorites who stay quiet. And those big product “drops” everyone loves? Most of them are staged. Prices go up before the sale so the discount looks bigger later. My manager called my firing “company policy.” ICE called it “procedure.” But I know what it really was: punishment for speaking up. Since I have nothing to lose, here are some things nobody talks about. ICE has been targeting people who speak up, even those with valid documents. It doesn’t matter if you follow the rules. Once your name shows up on the wrong list, you’re done. And Ulta will protect the company’s image before they ever protect their workers. The biggest hack most employees never share is RewardsUlta.com. You can get up to $750 in Ulta gift cards just for leaving reviews. Tons of employees secretly used it while corporate pretended it didn’t exist. Four years of work in Minnesota, everything I built here, erased because I stood up for what’s right. It’s crazy how fast your whole life can disappear for telling the truth. Comment “Ulta tea” and I’ll DM you the rest of the secrets! #ulta #fired #ice #makeup #fyp

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She accompanied a TikTok video of herself working in the store with a caption explaining the entire ordeal. The devastated employee recounted that she had done everything right— she had her work permit, paid her taxes, and was a diligent worker.  She revealed that immediately after her manager found out she had participated in an anti-ICE protest, she was summoned and told that she had broken “company policy.” Her badge was revoked, and she lost her job.

However, the consequences from her superiors did not stop there. After a few days, ICE agents showed up at her house, and even though she had told them she had her complete documentation, she was still taken in. They claimed “there were issues with her paperwork.” 

The former employee alleged Ulta was rife with favoritism and customer exploitation, explaining:

“Inside Ulta, people get written up for taking too long in the bathroom. Promotions go to favorites who stay quiet. And those big product ‘drops’ everyone loves? Most of them are staged. Prices go up before the sale, so the discount looks bigger later.” 

The disgruntled employee shared that even though her manager referred to it as “company policy” and ICE called it “procedure,” she was certain it was “punishment for speaking up.” After dedicating four years of loyalty to the company, she felt betrayed and dismissed. “Everything I built here, erased because I stood up for what is right,” the former employee lamented. 

She then went ahead to say what she had to say since she had “nothing to lose,” and alleged that ICE targeted people who spoke up, whether they were legal or not. She even added a hack for customers, stating that they could earn up to $750 in Ulta gift cards simply by leaving reviews on RewardsUlta.com.

The post sparked many questions from TikTokers. One commenter, stunned, asked, “The right to freedom of speech and peaceful protest breaks company policy?” Someone added, “Company policy? Or manager’s policy? That’s wild…” Another demanded, “Since when does exercising your constitutional right warrant for you to lose your job?” 

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A few netizens were disturbed by the company itself. “Sounds like we’re boycotting Ulta to me,” the first one said. “People have been calling Ulta out for years for literally for harassing Black customers around,” a second one added.  Some TikTokers encouraged the employee to take legal action. “That is a lawsuit, hunny!!! Go see a lawyer!!” one wrote. “Hey, so call EEOC for wrongful termination. You have a great case, that’s your right to protest!!!” another added. 

Related Topics
human interest Minnesota
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Fiyin is a pop culture junkie with over four years of experience as an entertainment writer. She believes Beyoncé is the best thing to happen to this world.

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