CATALINA, AZ – A southern Arizona Mexican-themed restaurant situated roughly 20 miles north of Tucson has received both positive support and criticism after standing by their decision to serve free meals to law enforcement, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The owners of Sammy’s Mexican Grill, Betty and Jorge Rivas, are no stranger to receiving backlash from those critical of their political leanings. The restaurateurs have been subject to past attempts of cancellation due to their support for President Donald Trump as far back as 2020 when the two were seen attending a Trump rally in Phoenix in March of that year.
However, the latest coming from social media critics and liberal pundits has less to do with the Rivas’ support of the current president and instead focuses on their standing tradition of offering free meals to law enforcement, which includes ICE agents.
Earlier in February, the Catalina-based restaurant made national headlines after an interview with Jorge shared across social media delved into how Sammy’s Mexican Grill’s owners stand by ICE and are committed to offering agents a free meal when stopping by their establishment.
Anti-ICE activists flooded the comments of one of the Instagram posts critical of Sammy’s Mexican Grill’s owners’ stance on ICE and law enforcement in general, with many making derogatory remarks about Jorge’s Salvadoran roots and hoping he gets deported. As noted in previous reports pertaining to the restaurant, both Jorge and his wife are naturalized citizens.
Despite the backlash, Jorge says he remains unfazed, revealing in a recent podcast appearance that the restaurant has been proudly advertising free meals for law enforcement for at least the past five years.
“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,’ and we have this sign for about five, probably five years or more,” Jorge stated, adding, “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.”
In a post featured on the restaurant’s Facebook page, Jorge revealed that the support he and his wife’s business has received has outpaced the negative feedback and harassing calls and messages from anti-ICE activists.
“We’re still doing well; people continue to support us. We’ve received some negative calls, but even more calls overall [are] good ones. A lot of people are supporting us, a lot of people are leaving money so we can keep giving food to law enforcement officers,” Jorge stated in a follow-up interview.
The owners of Sammy’s Mexican Grill, Betty and Jorge Rivas, are no stranger to receiving backlash from those critical of their political leanings. The restaurateurs have been subject to past attempts of cancellation due to their support for President Donald Trump as far back as 2020 when the two were seen attending a Trump rally in Phoenix in March of that year.
However, the latest coming from social media critics and liberal pundits has less to do with the Rivas’ support of the current president and instead focuses on their standing tradition of offering free meals to law enforcement, which includes ICE agents.
Earlier in February, the Catalina-based restaurant made national headlines after an interview with Jorge shared across social media delved into how Sammy’s Mexican Grill’s owners stand by ICE and are committed to offering agents a free meal when stopping by their establishment.
Anti-ICE activists flooded the comments of one of the Instagram posts critical of Sammy’s Mexican Grill’s owners’ stance on ICE and law enforcement in general, with many making derogatory remarks about Jorge’s Salvadoran roots and hoping he gets deported. As noted in previous reports pertaining to the restaurant, both Jorge and his wife are naturalized citizens.
Despite the backlash, Jorge says he remains unfazed, revealing in a recent podcast appearance that the restaurant has been proudly advertising free meals for law enforcement for at least the past five years.
“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,’ and we have this sign for about five, probably five years or more,” Jorge stated, adding, “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.”
In a post featured on the restaurant’s Facebook page, Jorge revealed that the support he and his wife’s business has received has outpaced the negative feedback and harassing calls and messages from anti-ICE activists.
“We’re still doing well; people continue to support us. We’ve received some negative calls, but even more calls overall [are] good ones. A lot of people are supporting us, a lot of people are leaving money so we can keep giving food to law enforcement officers,” Jorge stated in a follow-up interview.
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments