Robert James Ritchie—better known by his stage name Kid Rock—is under fire for both his hiring practices and his hypocrisy.
On Saturday, May 10, Kid Rock's Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N' Roll Steakhouse in Nashville, Tennessee, ended service early.
The move reportedly came over fears the undocumented workers employed by the restaurant would be detained during a possible Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid or during ramped up ICE traffic stops in the area.
People acknowledged that undocumented immigrants are the primary workforce in many service industry jobs.
Not just in Nashville, but across the United States.
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The hypocrisy of vocal, vehement, anti-immigrant MAGA Republicans constantly getting caught depending on undocumented workers to run their businesses, maintain their homes, or provide their childcare wasn't lost on people.
There's even a well-documented history of MAGA Republican President Trump's businesses employing undocumented immigrants as well as instances of seeking to bring in foreign workers on H2-B visas rather than hiring American citizens or green card holders.
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As for Kid Rock himself, the backlash over his hypocrisy was brutal.
The man who calls himself an "American badass" didn't get any love online.
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Beginning May 3, Tennessee state police and unmarked ICE vehicles dramatically increased nightly traffic stops in South Nashville, targeting the workers that support much of the area's nightlife as they traveled to and from their jobs.
The cooperative effort resulted in at least 196 arrests by ICE agents.
But 101 individuals—over half— had no criminal history of any kind. This information—confirmed by Kristi Noem's Department of Homeland Security—contradicts the Trump administration's claims that ICE is targeting violent criminals.
The DHS press release confirmed only four (2%) of the 196 people detained had any record of involvement with violent crime—directly or indirectly.
According to Nashville Scene, several vocal MAGA Republican business owners lost out on weekend revenue after shutting down early to avoid ICE agents raiding their establishments or stopping and detaining their undocumented employees during their commute.
Leading many to wonder if the move was the result of a preponderance of caution or if the friends of Trump are getting insider information.
The local news outlet also noted the "recent panic" among conservative restaurant owners over an ICE presence in the Nashville area indicates the restaurants and the money they generate "rely directly on employing immigrants not authorized to work in the United States."
Neither the White House nor DHS have spoken about any repercussions for businesses employing the undocumented immigrants they're detaining or abducting and sending to El Salvador.
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