ICE Activity at Stores: Why Businesses Aren’t in Control

In recent weeks, more people have seen immigration enforcement in everyday places, like where they shop and work. When that happens, the reaction is predictable. People look to the business and expect someone inside to step in and do something, but often they can’t. It also isn’t safe to put frontline workers in a position where they’re expected to confront federal agents.

From small storefronts to big-box chains, businesses keep getting dragged into this conversation any time ICE shows up. It’s easy to look at agents in a parking lot and assume the store invited them or is involved in some way. But that’s not what’s happening. Most of the time, businesses are given no notice, and they don’t have a choice in the matter.

The truth is that businesses generally don’t have the legal authority to keep ICE agents out of public spaces, such as parking lots and customer-facing areas. So even when a business isn’t involved, it can still end up being the backdrop for enforcement activity.

That’s why blaming the store misses the point. The workers inside are stuck with the same lack of control that the rest of the community feels. Holding businesses responsible for what federal agents do in public areas is a dead end. The pressure belongs on the agencies and leaders who decide how enforcement is carried out, not on workers trying to do their jobs.

Ryan R, Philadelphia resident, former local business owner