Social media lit up Wednesday with claims that Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino and other federal agents were denied service at a Minnesota gas station amid escalating anti-ICE protests.
Self-described journalist Cam Higby wrote on X that Bovino was turned away at a Speedway on Portland Avenue in Minneapolis. “Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino DENIED SERVICE at speedway on Portland Avenue. I asked the Commander if this is illegal,” Higby posted.
The allegation quickly sparked backlash online. One user warned, “I smell a BOYCOTT incoming!” Another added, “Put them out of business.”
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the incident unfolded as agents were targeted during a federal enforcement operation in the Twin Cities.
“Border Patrol agents who were in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area as part of a targeted enforcement operation were repeatedly harassed and blocked by hostile crowds while simply trying to take bathroom breaks,” McLaughlin told Newsweek.
“At each gas station where the agents stopped to use the restroom, groups of agitators appeared, yelled at them, stalked them, and even tried to prevent law enforcement vehicles from leaving, creating unsafe conditions,” she added.
Newsweek contacted Speedway’s parent company, 7-Eleven, seeking comment. The Portland Avenue location also declined to provide additional information.
The controversy comes as President Donald Trump’s administration carries out stepped-up immigration enforcement in major U.S. cities. Minneapolis has seen days of unrest tied to the operations, including two shootings by federal agents in the span of a week.
Donald Trump has warned he may invoke the Insurrection Act if violence continues.
“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump wrote on social media Jan. 15.
McLaughlin said the harassment escalated as agents tried to move between locations.
“At one stop, individuals in the crowd threw food at the agents. At their final gas station stop, someone spit on an agent,” she said. “When an agent moved to detain the person who spit on him, the crowd tackled and attacked the agents while surrounding them. To safely clear the area agents had to use crowd control measures to disperse the hostile crowd.”
🚨🚨 Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino DENIED SERVICE at speedway on Portland Avenue.
I asked the Commander if this is illegal, and the cashier said “I DON’T CARE IF IT IS”@CMDROpAtLargeCA pic.twitter.com/fAqzCHS9uY
— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) January 21, 2026
Video shared by Higby appears to show agents outside a convenience store as a man follows them. When asked if he worked there, the man said yes.
“You guys kicked him out?” the person filming asked.
“Yeah,” the man replied.
Asked why, the man said, “Because I want to. We don’t support ICE and nobody here does. Neither do I.”
“So he’s not allowed service here,” the filmer said.
“Nope. We don’t support ICE,” the man responded.
The filmer then asked Bovino whether denying service to federal agents was illegal. Bovino did not answer on camera. The man added, “If it is, our president don’t care.”
Conservative commentators seized on the footage.
“A Speedway in Minnesota REFUSES service to Border Commander Greg Bovino and his agents. EMPLOYEE: ‘We don’t support ICE and nobody here does.’ Disgraceful. This needs to be addressed and fixed immediately,” conservative podcaster Benny Johnson wrote on X.
Conservative influencer Nick Sortor added, “Hey @Speedway, is it your policy to DENY service to federal law enforcement officers? You’re going to end up getting Bud Lighted. FIX THIS!”
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