Food Trucks Were Spotted Driving Into Alligator Alcatraz — Two Are Immigrant-Owned

While Senators were fighting over the Big Beautiful Bill in Washington, D.C., President Trump was in Florida touring an immigrant detention center. Initially, it was given the nickname Alligator Alcatraz due to the deadly wildlife that surrounds it. According to the Tampa Bay Times, that is now its actual name. Jeremy Redfern, a spokesman for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, confirmed this in an email to the outlet. We are living in dystopian times.

The world wasted no time in cranking out merchandise for the detention center. In fact Uthmeier himself is selling branded items, including but not limited to Alligator Alcatraz-branded bumper stickers and golf balls. You can even buy a coffee mug that reads, "Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide". As if this didn't feel celebratory enough, food trucks were spotted entering the compound, giving it a late-night after-the-bar feel. What if we told you some of them were immigrant-owned companies?

A TikTok video of food trucks driving into Alligator Alcatraz has gone viral, with many of the commenters demanding that people boycott the companies. The first was Kona Ice, followed by Churromania, Elote Lovers, and Ms. Cheezious. The caption below the video reads, "They love our food, but hate our people." People in the comments are calling for a boycott.

Kona Ice was founded by Tony Lamb in 2007, while Ms. Cheezious, a grilled cheese food truck, was started in the mid-2000s by Brian Mullins and his wife Fatima. While we can't confirm where Tony, Brian, and Fatima hail from, we can say that Brian and his wife love spending time in Mexico, per a 2012 interview with Mobile Food News. While ice cream and grilled cheese sandwiches aren't thought of as international fare, the other two trucks tell a different story.

The bio section of Churromania's Instagram boasts more than 120 locations in South America and the United States. They celebrated their 28th anniversary in March 2025 with a fun Instagram post that said their first store opened in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. Apart from the South American stores, Churromania can be found in Florida, New York, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Massachusetts, and Illinois. Comments have now been limited on their Instagram.

Elote Lovers started in 2011 as a "family-owned food truck business" called Miami Roasted Corn. They expanded their business and in 2019, became Elote Lovers, where they promise "Mexican style elotes" as well as loaded Crunchwraps and unique street eats. Unlike Churromania, Elote Lovers has addressed their controversial appearance at Alligator Alcatraz in a post to the Miami Roasted Corn Facebook page.

Per the post, the company was unaware of the "significant controversy" surrounding the detention center and had no idea there was "public outrage" regarding its existence. They went on to say their participation is not an "endorsement or expression of support" for the facility. They were solely to serve food to the onsite service providers. It goes on to assure their community that Elote Lovers will be more mindful in the future while apologizing for any hurt they may have caused.

Apparently, Elote Lovers has been on the receiving end of threats and claims that people have been spreading lies about them. The statement does not say whether or not an Elote Lovers food truck will return to Alligator Alcatraz.