A controversy has erupted in Idaho after Old State Saloon announced a promotion offering one month of free beer to anyone who helps US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) identify and deport undocumented immigrants. The bar posted the offer on X, drawing widespread attention because of both its message and its timing. The establishment has previously courted publicity by declaring June “Heterosexual Awareness Month.”
The Department of Homeland Security highlighted the post by quoting it and attaching a humorous gif of Earl Sinclair from the 1990s show Dinosaurs, appearing stunned as a glass slips from his hand. Old State Saloon replied approvingly, signalling that it welcomed the attention. Online users quickly flooded the post with jokes, memes and further suggestions, including awarding a “Deporter of the Year” title with lifetime free beer. Others reacted critically, calling the promotion unethical and questioning whether a business should incentivise immigration enforcement.
While the post triggered a playful trend on social media, it touched a deeply polarising issue, especially with ICE stepping up operations across major US cities under the Trump administration. In New York City, immigration activists protested near a General Services Administration parking lot on November 29 in an attempt to block ICE vehicles from departing for a raid in Manhattan. Organisers said the protest was meant to prevent families from being torn apart and to draw attention to the scale of deportations.
ICE data suggests that enforcement has widened far beyond violent and felony offenders. Of nearly 53,000 people arrested and detained as of November 15, more than two-thirds reportedly had no criminal convictions. Critics argue that raids are sweeping up long-term US residents without criminal records, while supporters maintain that strict immigration enforcement is necessary. The Idaho bar’s promotion now sits at the centre of that wider national divide, attracting both praise and condemnation.
