Anna Hartz
Crowded restaurants usually bring people together. Most of the time the noise comes from conversations, clinking plates, and families trying to squeeze in a quiet dinner.
Sometimes the mood can turn quickly when people think they are witnessing something serious. That happened in Lynwood, California, on Wednesday night, when a simple misunderstanding sparked a tense scene outside a local restaurant.
Mistaken for ICE
A group of protesters gathered outside after they believed three people inside were Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The people in question were actually Transportation Security Administration employees who had stopped for dinner, according to Fox News.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said the TSA officials were “surrounded and viciously harassed” by what they described as a hostile crowd.
Footage from Fox 11 Los Angeles showed people blowing horns, waving flags, and gathering tightly outside the restaurant. The noise carried down the street while the crowd tried to see who was inside.
National Tension
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded after calls came in. Deputies later confirmed that the three federal workers were air marshals, not ICE agents. They said no immigration enforcement was taking place and that the department had nothing to do with any ICE activity. Deputies focused on managing the crowd and keeping both the workers and customers safe until the situation calmed down.
The standoff ended without arrests or injuries. The TSA employees were escorted out of the restaurant once deputies cleared a safe path.
A customer named Osbaldo Bretado told Fox 11 that he arrived shortly after the crowd left. He said people often react emotionally when they think something is happening, but that mistakes like this can happen when tensions run high.
A TSA spokesperson later issued a statement criticizing what happened. He said TSA employees play an important role in national security and called the harassment unacceptable. He also said the heated language used by some public figures encourages these kinds of confrontations.
The incident ended quietly, but it added another layer to the ongoing national debate over immigration and law enforcement.
Sources: Fox News
