Two ICE agents in New Jersey left a Starbucks empty-handed after an anti-ICE crowd confronted them and they departed the store.
The video was filmed by someone in the crowd. At the beginning of the clip, a woman can be heard yelling inside the Starbucks, “Who wants coffee without ICE?” The person filming then turned the camera toward two individuals standing at the counter, identifying them as ICE agents and drawing the attention of others in the store.
The crowd continued shouting at the two agents as the person filming accused them of separating families. She called them “disgusting” and told them they should be ashamed of themselves. “You shouldn’t be comfortable going anywhere. You shouldn’t be able to sleep at night,” she continued. As the confrontation persisted, the two ICE agents left Starbucks before receiving their order.
Although the two agents left Starbucks, several people from the crowd followed them outside. They continued calling them “disgusting” and telling them they should be ashamed. “That’s right, you aren’t getting your coffee,” the person filming said. Another woman asked the two whether they had families, referencing criticism of ICE’s family separation policies.
The crowd continued shouting at the two agents until they got into their car. “Slink away like the cockroaches you are,” the person filming said. She then added, “You wanna just get coffee like a normal person? You aren’t normal people. You are monsters.” The video ended with the agents driving away while members of the crowd continued yelling and recording them.
Viewers Side With New Jersey Crowd After Confronting ICE Agents
The video sparked reactions online. Many viewers supported the New Jersey crowd’s confrontation with the ICE agents. “The walk of humiliation, like mutts being shamed out of their cities,” one person wrote. Another commenter said, “So ICE Agents get a taste of racism! Being rejected and denied service because of who they are. Ironic, totally enjoyable, but ironic.”
On the other hand, some viewers sided with the agents and argued that they did not deserve to be confronted while ordering coffee. “Starbucks should be ashamed. ICE is tryi[n]g to stop child sex trafficking and slave wage employment. The more illegals get deported the higher wages for Americans will get and will become. Proper living wages. These Starbucks customers should be ashamed to support sex traffickers,” one person wrote. Another commenter argued, “They ARE the ones doing those horrible things by snatching people off the streets for no reason.”
The video sparked a conversation about whether it is appropriate to confront ICE agents in public over the agency’s policies and actions. It also led to broader discussions about the different ways people are expressing opposition to ICE, as well as the ongoing debate over the agency’s treatment of immigrants and immigration enforcement.
