This is a very long post, but it's worth it. Apparently, ICE Watch or some other vigilante group like it sent out the emergency distress signal that ICE agents were eating lunch at a restaurant. Actually, it was two tech workers who started recording when the anti-ICE harpies began clinging to the restaurant windows like flies. The pair was accosted while they left, not being able to prove that they were not ICE agents.
EXCLUSIVE: Tech workers say they were mistaken for ICE agents, accosted by anti-ICE mob
— Alpha News (@AlphaNews) January 17, 2026
What began as a casual lunch between five Twin Cities software engineers quickly escalated into a frightening encounter after the men were misidentified as undercover federal agents and… pic.twitter.com/aca4QUb8mF
… protesters were alerted to the Minneapolis restaurant where they were dining.
Alpha News obtained video and spoke with one of the men, Lee, a software engineer from Plymouth, who described how the situation unfolded.
Lee said the group was eating lunch at Clancy’s Deli, near 38th Street and Grand Avenue South, when one of the men — who belongs to an anti-ICE Signal chat — received a message from a group labeled “SW Minneapolis Rapid Response” claiming that plainclothes ICE agents were dining at the restaurant.
“My friend was shocked,” Lee said. “He’s on the [anti-ICE] side politically. He lives nearby. He’s eaten there before. And suddenly he’s seeing messages saying we’re ICE.”
The software engineers — all white males dressed casually in sweatshirts and jackets — were soon confronted by protesters who surrounded the restaurant, shouting insults and blowing whistles in their ears as they attempted to leave, according to Lee.
Lee emphasized to Alpha News that the group’s political views were mixed, but said the encounter left some of them reconsidering their positions.
“One of us is pro-ICE, one anti-ICE, others on the fence,” he said. “After this, I think some of them are rethinking everything.”
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No kidding.
From a PR perspective, public-facing Republicans need to be emphasizing that these are political mobs going around intimidating, harassing, and attacking both legitimate law enforcement and random bystanders. Libs are unironically the real fascists. https://t.co/k71R8EA7L8
— arctotherium (@arctotherium42) January 17, 2026
We tried and failed to convince Joe Biden that Antifa was an actual thing and not an idea. The "antifascists" were the real fascists the whole time.
We've reached peak LARP.
— Ashton Forbes (@AshtonForbes) January 18, 2026
“If you’re not with us you’re against us”
— Wirelyss 👁️🗨️💫 (@wirelyss) January 17, 2026
This is the new pass to start harassing anybody. They dont care if he is actually an ice agent or not. He “looks like” he would not agree with the mobs views so they harass him
It is a Maoist cultural revolution. Citizens forced into struggle sessions by the Democratic Red Guard.
— William-of-Ockham (@WillOckhamMemes) January 17, 2026
IF YOU'RE NOT WITH US YOU'RE AGAINST US pic.twitter.com/Rc9AtyaKX7
— Ord (@whatstheticker) January 17, 2026
Got jumped on here yesterday for pointing out how quickly and dangerously this could spiral. And that people should consider the optics of vigilante groups detaining random people and to question why the pack mentality is being encouraged.
— Detty (@0ddette) January 18, 2026
If you’re an adult spending a Saturday afternoon blowing a whistle while suffering from crippling perpetual outrage, it may be a good time to reflect on your life choices.
— Elliott Engen (@elliottengenMN) January 17, 2026
You may think you’re a revolutionary, but in reality you’re just weird.
Imagine waking up thinking, “How productive can I be today?” and deciding to do this nonsensical harassment. 🤦♂️
— WhatDidYouSay (@NoFilterMeSorry) January 17, 2026
So the brown shirts are officially in the streets
— Brett (@Texan__Pride) January 17, 2026
They have been.
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