Five software engineers in Minneapolis had a frightening experience last week. While eating lunch at Clancy’s Deli near 38th Street and Grand Avenue South, they were wrongly called federal immigration agents. The trouble started when one of them received a message on an anti-ICE chat saying ICE agents were inside the restaurant. Protesters quickly gathered outside, shouting insults and blocking the exit. The engineers, all white men dressed casually, tried to explain they were not ICE agents. But the crowd did not believe them. One person said, “Do I look like an ICE agent?” and a protester answered, “Yeah, you look like a f---ing ICE agent.” The men had to leave under pressure while facing hateful chants like “I hope you die” and being called paedophiles. This incident comes amid rising anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis. Earlier, the shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent had stirred strong protests and anger across the city. Social media users online were sharply divided about the episode. Some called the protest a dangerous example of mob justice, warning that false online alerts can harm innocent people. Others argued that mistrust in ICE leads to such high alertness but agreed the misidentification crossed a line. One social media user wrote, “Five random White guys eating lunch in Minnesota get reported as ‘undercover ICE agents’ to an anti-ICE Signal chat by the restaurant’s owner and the next thing they know a mob has showed up.” Minneapolis has become a hotspot in the fight over immigration enforcement. Federal “Operation Metro Surge” has brought many ICE agents to the region, increasing protests and community tension. Activist groups use encrypted chats to track ICE agents, but mistakes like this put civilians at risk. The engineers had mixed political views, with some supporting ICE and others against. The incident made them rethink their positions amid the unrest. Local authorities face a tough job balancing law enforcement with public safety, especially after recent limits on agents’ arrest powers at protests. What started as a quiet lunch turned into a headline about growing divisions in Minneapolis over immigration, protests, and safety. The episode raises questions about the dangers of misinformation and the heated protest atmosphere in the city.