Earlier this month, employees of Starbucks staged a significant protest against the detention and deportation practices enforced by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This demonstration was marked by temporary work stoppages as workers voiced their solidarity with colleagues who had been impacted by these policies.

The protests gained traction after a call for a boycott of Starbucks emerged from MAGA activists last Saturday. The boycott was prompted by the recent actions of unions in various cities, which have been actively protesting against the detention of their fellow workers by ICE. As video footage of these protests circulated widely on social media, the situation attracted considerable public attention.

Members of Starbucks Workers United at the Ellicott City location in Maryland expressed their commitment to the cause during a work stoppage on April 1. They stated, We are stopping work for a few minutes to read a statement in protest of actions against our fellow workers. This declaration was part of a broader effort to highlight the injustices faced by their colleagues, particularly focusing on the ICE detentions of individuals like Rmeysa ztrk and Lewelyn Dixon, both of whom have strong ties to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Rmeysa ztrk is a Tufts University PhD student affiliated with SEIU Local 509. Her arrest occurred in Massachusetts after she authored an article for the university's newspaper that criticized the Trump administrations handling of calls for divestment from Israel. The 30-year-old activist was reportedly arrested and physically restrained by immigration officers, drawing significant media scrutiny.

Similarly, Lewelyn Dixon, a 64-year-old lab technician at UW Medicine and member of SEIU Local 925, was detained in Washington. Dixon has lived in the United States for over five decades and held a green card, raising questions about the fairness and legality of her detention.

In a show of solidarity with their fellow workers, Starbucks employees in Iowa City conveyed a powerful message: We have a message for Starbucks, ICE, and the Trump administration: if you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. This sentiment reflects the growing unity among workers as they confront the challenges posed by ICE policies and broader immigration issues.

The tensions between Starbucks and its unions escalated further in 2023 when both parties initiated lawsuits against each other. The conflict was sparked by a controversial social media post regarding the Israel-Hamas war. Starbucks filed a lawsuit in federal court in Iowa against Workers United, claiming that a pro-Palestinian post from the unions account during the early days of the conflict incited anger among customers and harmed the companys reputation. On October 9, just two days after Hamas militants launched attacks across southern Israel, Starbucks Workers United tweeted Solidarity with Palestine! on X (formerly known as Twitter). The union later clarified that the post had been made without the explicit authorization of its leadership and was promptly deleted after approximately 40 minutes.

This ongoing dispute highlights the complexities of labor rights, immigration policies, and corporate responsibility, as workers rally together to support their colleagues and advocate for their rights in the face of adversity. As the situation develops, both the protests and the boycott signify a vital moment in the intersection of labor activism and social justice movements.