Raids at Zipps locations spark outrage, calls for ICE to leave Arizona

By Micaela Marshall | January 27, 2026

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Protestors gathered for a rally in central Phoenix Tuesday afternoon in response to Monday’s raids at Zipps Sports Grill locations across the Valley.

“ICE of out Phoenix! ICE out of Phoenix!” a couple of hundred people chanted while marching from Zipps on Central Avenue near Thomas Road to the ICE Phoenix Field Office down the street.

Some elected officials and activists are demanding ICE agents leave Arizona, calling the recent search warrants traumatic and chaotic.

While questions pile up about what exactly happened and why, anger continues to build.

“It does not matter if you are undocumented or a citizen, it does not matter if you are protesting or just living your life, all it takes is being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Alejandra Gomez with Living United for Change in Arizona, or LUCHA.

The restaurant chain is at the center of controversy after Homeland Security Investigations and other federal agencies raided 15 Zipps locations across the Valley on Monday.

“Direct assault on the dignity of immigrant workers and a chilling reminder of how law enforcement actions can tear right through the fabric of our community,” said Beth Strano with Borderlands Resource Initiative.

Immigration attorney Juliana Manzanarez ran from her nearby law office to witness it for herself and speak with workers.

“Everything happened really quickly. They came in, they shouted, they cleared the restaurant, and they said that they were detained while they were making this investigation,” said Manzanarez.

Arizona Democrat Rep. Yassamin Ansari was on scene, too.

“This is despicable, as the daughter of immigrants who fled an authoritarian regime to come to this country for a better life and opportunity to see the ongoing authoritarian takeover of the United States of America,” said Ansari.

We don’t know what prompted the search warrants or if any actual arrests were made.

All the U.S. Attorney’s Office will tell Arizona’s Family is that this was not an ICE sweep or raid, but instead related to a long-term criminal investigation involving felony violations.

“This type of operation shouldn’t be carried out with masked agents and pepper spray and mace,” said Manzanarez.

Speakers at the rally were calling on Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Gov. Katie Hobbs, both Democrats, to stand up to ICE and force the agency out of our state.

Gov. Hobbs posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she’s gathering details about the raids and criticized the Trump administration for not giving her office enough notice about the searches.

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