Air marshals mistaken for ICE chased out of Korean restaurant

Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News on Jan 29, 2026

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Three federal air marshals had their dinner plans ruined when they were chased out of a California Korean barbecue restaurant by a crowd that mistook them for ICE agents.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said dozens of deputies from two police stations were dispatched to a commercial plaza in Lynwood, roughly 15 miles south of L.A., when a large group gathered outside the restaurant where the marshals were eating on Wednesday, according to CBS News.

The marshals reportedly called for backup when rumors spread throughout Plaza Mexico and on social media that immigration officers were in the house.

Video shows a swarm of deputies converging on the scene.

Cops managed to keep the agitated crowd away from the air marshals as the besieged trio was loaded into an unmarked van and whisked away to the Sheriff’s Department’s Century Station.

While some of the demonstrators were described as “unruly,” no arrests were made and no injuries were reported. The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department hasn’t returned a request for comment.

ICE and Border Patrol agents have become largely unpopular since the Trump administration began deploying agents to mostly Democratic-led cities, despite the objections of local officials. The president appears to be revisiting how those departments operate following the fatal shootings of Minneapolis citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Air marshals report to the Transportation Security Administration, which, like ICE, operates under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security. However, air mashals’ jobs involve monitoring airports and flights for suspicious activity and responding to in-flight threats.