Service at high-profile MAGA supporter Kid Rock's Nashville restaurant came to an abrupt halt on a busy Saturday night after undocumented workers fled en masse to avoid rumored immigration raids favored by President Donald Trump, Nashville Scene reported.
The restaurant Kid Rock’s Big A-- Honky Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse is licensed to wealthy conservative restaurateur Steve Smith.
According to the report, managers instructed employees without legal immigration status to leave to avoid ICE detention. Two other Smith-owned restaurants were also affected by the walkout, which lasted at least through Sunday.
An employee told the publication, “We were already understaffed because of the ICE raids throughout the weekend. Then, around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, our manager came back and told anyone without legal status to go home. Events at the Ryman, Ascend, the Savannah Bananas’ baseball game all let out, and it was crazy busy. But there was no one in the kitchen to cook the food.”
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"State troopers and unmarked ICE vehicles dramatically increased nightly traffic stops on May 3 in South Nashville, where the joint operation has resulted in at least 196 arrests by ICE agents," the report continued. "These arrests included 101 individuals with no criminal history, contradicting Trump administration claims that immigration enforcement has been targeted toward violent criminals."
Kid Rock, real name Robert James Ritchie, played at President Donald Trump's inauguration and visited the White House at the end of March as Trump signed an executive order to stop "price-gouging" by concert ticket brokers.
The musician dressed up for the Oval Office visit, opting for a "loud red, white and blue American flag jumpsuit and matching hat ensemble."
The report concluded that the "recent panic" indicated that Smith's restaurant empire "relies directly on employing immigrants not authorized to work in the United States."
Smith didn't comment for the story.
Read the Nashville Scene article here.
