The concept of community is hugely important within the coffee industry. Coffee shops are considered classic examples of “third places”—spaces where people gather outside of the home and the workplace—and many, from small stores to large chains, promote themselves as community hubs. Building community takes many forms, from hosting book clubs and latte art throwdowns to sponsoring local nonprofits and simply offering a place for neighborhood residents to get together.
Over the past two months, coffee shops in Minnesota have had to adapt their approach to community building in response to the federal government’s Operation Metro Surge, during which thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have been deployed to the state. The surge has captured international attention, particularly following the killings of two U.S. citizens—Renée Nicole Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24—by government agents.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has called the surge the “largest immigration operation ever,” while Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison described it as “in essence, a federal invasion.”…