DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) – Customers at a shopping center in North Carolina are on edge after a fake ICE truck was parked in the lot as a prank.
The entire shopping center is full of businesses that cater to the Hispanic community.
The grocery store, Compare Foods, is the center of the shopping complex.
A white truck with what looked like an ICE logo was recently seen in the parking lot, as well as a driver wearing an ICE uniform.
It was enough to create rumors of an immigration raid at the store – but it was all a prank.
Now, photos of the truck are making the rounds on social media.
One shopper, Rosie de Leon, is originally from Mexico but has called Durham home for eight years. She said it’s sad that people would try to take advantage of the fear within the community right now, and these kinds of antics only embolden people to create more panic.
The prank follows news from the Trump administration that previously “safe zones” like schools and churches would no longer be off limits to ICE raids.
Non-Hispanic shoppers at Compare Foods were also unhappy with the prank.
William McNeil had a message for the person driving the truck.
“You’re not ICE. You’re not even Department of Justice or anything like that. So, just cut it out. Leave people alone. No one’s bothering you,” he said.
His daughter Aniya McNeil said there has been a lot of talk about ICE raids at her school.
“To drive around and kind of like fear monger, knowing that people are like super terrified of that right now, especially in Hispanic neighborhoods, is insane to me,” she said.
In the meantime, Compare Foods said they filed a police report and are seeking legal action against the people responsible for the prank.
They posted this message on their Instagram trying to reassure customers it’s safe to shop at the store, saying, “Fear, especially in such uncertain times, can spread like wildfire, and we are committed to standing up against those who seek to exploit these vulnerabilities.”
In general, it is considered a crime to impersonate police officers, including ICE officers. However, it’s unclear if any charges will be filed in this case.
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