A post shared on social media is going viral after featuring a notice from a local McDonald’s restaurant for drawing attention to rising concerns about increased crime happening in Uptown Minneapolis. A sign attached to the door of the establishment says, “Attention guests, effective Friday, December 5th, our dining room doors will be locked and attended to during our normal business hours of 5 am-10 pm to ensure a safe environment.”
The notice added, “We will deny access to any individual who we consider a risk to maintaining a safe environment for our guests.” When Fox News reached out to the McDonald’s, they confirmed the authenticity of the sign. The owner and operator of the franchise, Mike Darula, gave Fox News a statement saying the restaurant has “proudly been part of the Uptown community for more than 30 years.”
“At our Uptown restaurant, we’ve made some updates to our security measures to help ensure a safe and welcoming environment for both our crew and customers,” he said, according to Fox News Digital. The franchise has experienced a growing problem with trespassing. Management attempted to use other means of solving the issue, but none of them proved to be successful, leaving the franchise no choice but to lock the dining room doors.
There are 11 McDonald’s locations in Minneapolis, with well over 13,500 locations across the country. During the most recent fiscal year, the city experienced a total of 4,473 violent crimes. Out of those, 2,839 were aggravated assaults and 65 murders. The Department of Homeland Security has been carrying out operations in the Twin Cities area to crack down on crime.
The Department recently revealed that close to a dozen “child sex offenders, domestic abusers and violent gang members” were taken into custody. “ICE law enforcement are risking their lives to protect Minnesotans … No matter when and where, ICE will find, arrest and deport ALL criminal illegal aliens,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin went on to say in a statement earlier in December.
A press release from Homeland Security on December 4, 2025, reveals further details concerning Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis. McLaughlin places the blame for the spike in crime on the sanctuary policies put in place by Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, saying the policies left the door wide open for domestic terrorists and pedophiles to creep into the city.
“ICE law enforcement are risking their lives to protect Minnesotans while their own elected officials sit by and do nothing. No matter when and where, ICE will find, arrest, and deport ALL criminal illegal aliens,” she said. The report listed some of the worst offenders apprehended during the operation, including Abdulkadir Sharif Abdi, a criminal illegal hailing from Somalia. Abdi was a former member of a violent group known as the Gangster Disciples and is currently a member of the Vice Lord Nation. He was previously convicted of fraud, receiving stolen property, receiving a stolen vehicle, vehicle theft, and multiple probation violations.
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Conservatives believe the solution to lowering crime in the city rests on enforcing immigration laws and deporting violent criminals like Abdi back to their country of origin, which could eventually make the community safe enough for establishments like McDonald’s to open up their dining areas for members of the community.