An Arizona Mexican restaurant owned by a Latino couple is weathering a firestorm of boycott calls and online harassment for offering free meals to federal immigration agents—a stance that has split the community and reignited fierce debates over loyalty, law enforcement, and political identity.
Story Snapshot
- Sammy’s Mexican Grill in Arizona offers free meals to ICE agents, sparking intense backlash and boycott campaigns from local Latino activists
- Owners Betty and Jorge Rivas have publicly supported Trump and immigration enforcement since 2016, intensifying controversy after his 2024 reelection
- The restaurant faces threats and social media attacks while other Phoenix businesses close in solidarity with anti-ICE protests
- ICE raids at nearby establishments detained dozens and used pepper spray on protesters, fueling nationwide shutdown movements
A Family Business Takes a Stand
Betty and Jorge Rivas never expected their restaurant to become ground zero in America’s immigration wars. Since 2016, the couple has openly championed President Trump and federal immigration enforcement, a position uncommon among Latino business owners in immigrant-heavy Arizona. Their offer of free meals to ICE agents transforms that support from symbolic to tangible, placing them squarely in the crosshairs of activists who view such gestures as betrayal. The policy costs them nothing financially per meal but potentially everything in customer loyalty and community standing.
The Backlash Intensifies Post-Election
Trump’s 2024 reelection supercharged tensions around Sammy’s Mexican Grill. The restaurant now endures a relentless barrage of threatening phone calls, one-star review campaigns, and social media pile-ons demanding closure. Critics argue the Rivases dishonor their heritage by aiding agents who conduct deportation sweeps in their own community. These attacks escalated as ICE ramped up enforcement operations across the Phoenix Valley, including a high-profile raid at Zipps Sports Grill where agents detained several dozen people and deployed pepper spray against protesters blocking exits.
Phoenix Divides Along Ideological Lines
While Sammy’s doubles down on its pro-enforcement position, dozens of other Valley restaurants chose the opposite path. Establishments like Tres Leches Cafe and multiple Bianco restaurant locations shuttered for a Friday protest, sacrificing peak revenue to stand with undocumented immigrants. They directed patrons to donate instead to advocacy groups including the ACLU, Puente Movement, and No More Deaths. Cafecito Pecas posted solidarity messages affirming community over profit. This divergence illustrates a restaurant industry fractured by immigration politics, with business owners forced to pick sides in ways that reshape customer bases permanently.
WATCH: Mexican Restaurant in Arizona Goes Viral for Offering Free Meals for ICE Agents.
LET'S LET HIM KNOW THAT WE ARE GRATEFUL!
THANK YOU, SAMMY, OWNER OF SAMMY'S GRILL.https://t.co/UuY69B8d2h #gatewaypundit via @gatewaypundit— LeonidasOfSparta❤️🇺🇸 🇬🇧🇮🇱TRUMP (@Skylark57) February 9, 2026
When Law Enforcement Meets Mexican Cuisine
The irony of ICE agents dining at Mexican restaurants has not escaped protesters nationwide. Similar confrontations erupted in Minneapolis, where residents chased officers from an eatery during the January 23 general strike calling for no school, no work, no shopping. The Sammy’s controversy taps into deeper questions about cultural identity and political allegiance. Can a Latino-owned business legitimately support deportation enforcement without contradicting its ethnic roots? The Rivases answer yes, framing their stance as support for legal immigration and rule of law rather than ethnic disloyalty—a perspective shared by many conservative Latinos but rejected vehemently by activists.
The Price of Principles
Both sides of this battle pay tangible costs for their convictions. Sammy’s loses customers and endures personal threats, yet gains visibility among pro-enforcement conservatives who may become new patrons. Anti-ICE restaurants forfeit Friday profits for moral clarity and community trust. The financial arithmetic remains unclear, but the social math is stark: Arizona’s Latino communities now navigate relationships defined by immigration politics. Families debate where to eat based on owners’ ICE positions. The restaurant industry, traditionally neutral ground for shared meals, transforms into contested territory where every purchase signals political alignment and every menu becomes a manifesto.
Sources:
Mexican Restaurant Sparks Outrage with Free Meals for ICE Agents – San Diego Red
Valley Restaurants to Close for National Shutdown Protesting ICE – Phoenix New Times
