With the current political climate, it has almost become normalized for people to be openly hostile and discriminatory in everyday public spaces. If someone decides that you are not white enough or not American enough, a routine errand can suddenly turn into a threatening encounter. One recent incident in Alabama serves as a clear example of how quickly things can escalate, especially when immigration enforcement like ICE is brought into the situation. The incident took place at a Walmart in Homewood, Alabama. A woman was shopping when another customer began harassing her simply for speaking Spanish. Like many people who feel unsafe or targeted, the woman’s first instinct was to start recording the interaction. Recording incidents like this has become increasingly common, as people often feel it is the only way to protect themselves or ensure there is proof of what happened.
The woman doing the harassing became visibly annoyed once she realized she was being recorded and told the woman filming not to record her face. When she turned back to focus on scanning her groceries at the self-checkout, the woman holding the phone began speaking in Spanish, complaining about how people nowadays have to record everything just to feel protected. This only seemed to make the situation worse.
The confrontation escalated when the woman at the checkout reacted strongly to hearing Spanish. She threatened to involve immigration authorities, saying, “Do you want me to call ICE? Don’t play with me!” She also made comments suggesting that Spanish-speaking people did not belong, saying, “You people come over to other folks’ country,” and adding, “Frankly, I should turn you in.”
Despite the threat, the woman filming refused to back down or leave her spot. Later in the video, she continued speaking in Spanish and expressed frustration that no one around her was stepping in to help. She showed her hands shaking while saying that she was scared and that no one would help her, underscoring just how unsafe she felt during the encounter at the Alabama Walmart.
Once the video circulated online, many viewers reacted with anger and disbelief. Numerous people were outraged that ICE was used as a threat over someone speaking Spanish while shopping. One user commented, “The irony of this coming from a Black woman is truly something.” Others pointed out that ICE does not discriminate the way some people assume and that weaponizing immigration enforcement against another person of color was deeply troubling.
Some users argued that more context was needed before judging the situation. One person wrote, “Before coming to judgment we need a back story on what actually happened. I heard the Black woman mentioned something about ‘rude’ in reference to the woman recording.” Even so, many others responded that no matter what happened beforehand, threatening someone with ICE in Alabama or anywhere else was completely unjustified.
Several commenters emphasized that racism should not be confused with patriotism. As one person wrote, “No one deserves to be threatened for shopping while speaking their native language. America is a mixed country with people from all over the world.”
