Since the emergence of ICE agents in major cities across the U.S., many businesses have taken a stance against their prevalence. For some businesses, this means displaying anti-ICE signs, saying they won’t serve agents in any capacity. For others, it means turning them away at their doors. This is what happened when two immigration agents entered a restaurant in Minnesota, on the lookout for a specific individual. A worker and owner of the business decided that they weren’t going to stand for it.
A video posted by the @wcconews TikTok showed what happened in the Hola Arepa restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The incident happened as the restaurant went into their daily dinner rush. All of a sudden, two men who introduced themselves as workers for the Department of Homeland Security approached the general manager, Naomi Rathke. They told Rathke that they were looking for a specific individual and showed her a photo, along with their badges.
Rathke told ICE, “This person doesn’t work here” hoping it would get them to leave. When they tried to access the back of the restaurant, Rathke refused and told them they weren’t allowed. Therefore, ICE agents told her the restaurant was surrounded and they would wait outside. Christina Nguyen, the owner and chef of Hola Arepa, said she thinks it’s “posturing” and “intimidation.” Nguyen gave advice for anybody else who has the misfortune of running into ICE officials: “Stay strong” and “Don’t let them intimidate you.”
These women knew exactly how to handle an upsetting and stressful situation. As a result of the unexpected ICE visit, Nguyen closed down Hola Arepa early that night. All employees were safely escorted to their vehicles after ICE threatened to surround the restaurant.
As one commenter pointed out about the situation, “Germany all over again.” This is literally the intimidation tactics that Nazis used in Germany as a scare tactic. It’s so sickening to see in America, where you would think lessons were learned over the years. Another commenter said, “Any business that protects their employees like this deserve all the business. This is capitalism done right, without losing their values or humanity. Support 100%.” Businesses like this show that they truly care about the people and their community in an enormous way.
