An immigrant restaurant owner in Catalina, Arizona, is showing warm hospitality to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as they face an increase in threats.
Jorge Rivas, who is originally from El Salvador, is the owner of Sammy’s Mexican Grill, Newsmax reported on Friday.
During a recent interview on the network’s Ike Wingate America, Rivas said it has been the custom for the past few years that he and his staff welcome law enforcement officers, whom he said people have been mistreating.
The restaurateur said they wanted to make sure the officers who serve the community feel appreciated, despite the fact leftists have tried to get them to stop showing them kindness.
“They can get a free meal, not because we think that they cannot afford it. It’s just because we feel the need to say thank you. We’re thankful, we’re grateful for who you are, what you do,” he said of law enforcement.
Rivas told Fox 11, “I’m doing it because I think it’s the right thing to do.” He also said businesses in his area who are pushing back against ICE operations are “un-American.”
Although Rivas has faced backlash, he said a “a lot of great patriots” have been visiting his business. The restaurant owner also noted that many people privately support law enforcement.
“Some people are afraid to say what is right. But we’re not afraid,” he stated.
“Everyone who works for ICE, all federal agents, can come to Sammy’s Mexican Grill. Here they will be treated with respect as they deserve,” Rivas said in a video:
ICE agents and their families have been facing an 8,000-percent increase in death threats, per Breitbart News.
Fox News referred to Rivas as an “outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump.” Indeed, Rivas was attacked in person and online in 2020 for backing the president and attending one of his rallies. The president in turn shared his support for the restaurant owner in a social media post:
Rivas shared a message with Fox for leftists protesting lawful ICE operations:
I know that many people feel that they need to have a goal, they need to have a purpose in their life. And they think that by confronting ICE agents or federal agents, that will fill the void that they have in their heart. They need to look for Jesus and for God for moral values and that will make them feel better.
In January, a poll found more than a majority of American voters supported Trump’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, according to Breitbart News.
