KENNER, La. — On Saturday, Dec. 6, a convenience store manager in Kenner, Louisiana, refused entry to a group of Border Patrol agents, sparking confusion outside the store.
Wayne Davis, assistant manager of the store, was assisting a customer when he noticed two unmarked SUVs pull into the parking lot. When agents wearing Border Patrol vests exited the vehicles, Davis locked the door from behind the counter, according to WWL Louisiana.
The agents attempted to enter, peering through the store window, while Davis recorded the encounter on his cellphone. Video footage shows Davis raising his middle finger at the agents and taunting them from inside the store, saying, “What do you want, man? You want some chicken? You ain’t getting it here… Go somewhere else, you ain’t getting no chicken.”
At one point, Davis appeared to recognize one of the agents as Gregory Bovino, commander of Border Patrol, who was in New Orleans as part of Operation Catahoula Crunch. Davis continued to mock the agents as they eventually left, waving from behind the locked door and raising his middle finger as the SUVs departed.
Can Businesses Refuse Entry to Border Patrol Agents?
Louisiana law considers interfering with immigration operations a felony and could be seen as obstruction of justice. However, businesses generally have the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason, unless the person is part of a legally protected class—which immigration agents are not.
If a business denies entry to immigration enforcement, agents cannot forcibly enter without a judicial warrant signed by a judge, according to the ACLU.
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