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A group of software engineers were showered with insults and accused of being pedophiles after they were mistakenly accused of being U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while trying to eat lunch in Minneapolis.
The men – all white males dressed casually in sweatshirts and jackets, were eating lunch at Clancey’s Deli when one of them got an alert on an anti-Ice Signal chat telling members that plainclothes agents were at the restaurant, Alpha News reported.
The person who got the message on the “SW Minneapolis Rapid Response” chat is aligned politically with the anti-ICE cause, one of the engineers who gave his name as Lee told the outlet.
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Federal agents deal with agitators outside of the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 14, 2026. The presence of ICE agents in the region has resulted in confrontations with anti-ICE agitators. (Jamie Vera/)
“My friend was shocked. 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,” Lee said.
After the alert was shared, dozens of anti-ICE agitators flocked to the restaurant and peered into the window, according to a video filmed by one of the men.
Once the group left, they were met on the street with derision from the crowd.
“You’re a f—— bootlicker b—-!” one of the agitators can be heard.
“Get out of our f—— neighborhood!” screamed another.
“Next thing we know, people are yelling, ‘I hope you die,’ and calling us pedophiles,” said Lee.
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Protesters gather in front of the Minnesota State Capitol in response to the death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
One of the men tried explaining that they were software engineers trying to have a meal.
“We do custom apps for a whole bunch of companies around Minnesota and the country,” he said.
Still, the crowd appeared unconvinced.
“Do I look like an ICE agent?” one of the men asked, prompting one woman to reply with: “Yeah, you look like a f—— ICE agent.”
“Get the f— out” one person is heard saying as whistles are heard in the background.
“This is what’s wrong with your guys’ cause,” the man said.
A woman asks, “Would you support [us]?”
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“The way you guys are acting? No. And I don’t support ICE either,” one man said. “I’m just trying to enjoy my lunch!”
