A restaurant located in Arizona is making quite a splash across social media for showing the country what it looks like to have respect for authority and law enforcement by providing free meals to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE) along with other federal law enforcement officials. A now viral video shone a spotlight on Sammy’s Mexican Grill for its show of respect for federal immigration officers through its gracious gift of free food.
Restaurant owner Jorge Rivas, in a Spanish interview that was translated to English, said that “Everyone who works for ICE, all federal agents can come to Sammy’s Mexican Grill. Here, they will be treated with respect and as they deserve.” Rivas also made an appearance on The Ray Stevens Show podcast earlier in February where he said his restaurant has a sign that welcomes law enforcement officers and offers them free food.
“We here at Sammy, which is the name of our restaurant, Sammy’s Mexican Grill. We have a sign if you come into the door into the restaurant, it just says, ‘Welcome to Sammy’s, where law enforcement always eats free,'” Rivas went on to say in the podcast. “And we have this sign for about five, probably five years or more.”
“And that’s because we personally feel that it is important to recognize the sacrifice that law enforcement does every day protecting every single citizen, putting their life on the line, even though they don’t know personally who are they protecting. But, you know, you and I know that once we’re in trouble, we call 911, and we expect someone to show up as soon as possible,” he added, according to Fox News.
Rivas is also a bold, outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump and is active in state GOP politics. The restaurant owner even ran in the GOP primary for Arizona’s 7th Congressional District in 2025, though he failed to secure the nomination. As many readers have probably already guessed, Rivas’ outspoken love for the president and law enforcement has led to the establishment taking massive criticism from the left.
Fox News revealed that the Sammy’s Mexican Grill has been “inundated with a renewed wave of threatening phone calls, hateful messages on social media, and calls for a boycott.” Much of the criticism leveled at the restaurant is due to increased tension over ICE following the shooting death of two anti-ICE agitators, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis. Good was shot and killed after attempting to run over an ICE agent after refusing orders to leave the vehicle.
In January 2026, the Department of Homeland Security revealed that ICE has seen a 1,300% increase in violent assaults on immigration enforcement officers, a 3,200% increase in vehicle attacks, and an 8,000% increase in death threats. Sammy’s Mexican Grill also took a hit from critics back in 2016 when the owner publicly supported Trump’s first presidential campaign.
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Rivas, speaking with Fox News, said it’s important for communities to support law enforcement, especially ICE agents who he said are “being attacked.” He then said that, “We must give them our support” going on to add that it was “not correct” if these officers were not given the respect they deserve for helping to keep our streets and our country safe.