BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The co-founders of Lloyd apologized at a Monday morning news conference, saying an apology issued after serving lunch at the federal detention facility in Batavia was hastily made.
“Chris and I want to fully and sincerely apologize for our past statement after our truck’s visit to the federal detention facility in Batavia last week. Our statement was hastily made, and we reacted too quickly to criticism we received for that visit,” said Pete Cimino.
Cimino and Chris Dorsaneo founded Lloyd, known for its giant burritos and neon green trucks. It is Buffalo’s first food truck and has maintained immense popularity since rolling out in 2010, adding more trucks to its fleet.
It began when Lloyd was criticized for sending a food truck to the facility, which requested its presence for its workers to buy lunch. Lloyd later tweeted out an apology, saying it was a bad business decision and a lapse in judgment. Lloyd then announced it would donate one day’s proceeds to Justice for Migrant Families WNY, a local group.
That in turn created even more controversy on social media, with even state Sen. Rob Ortt, who’s also running for Congress, issuing a statement that reads, “In what world does a company feel the need to apologize for serving food to federal law enforcement officers who work in dangerous conditions? Pathetic pandering.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement itself even put out a statement:
“The men and women who work at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility are Detention Officers, Deportation Officers, administrative support staff, Doctors, Nurses, Judges, Attorneys, and maintenance staff. Each and every one of them is entrusted with the safety, security, and care of the detainees here. Almost 50% of the staff are Veterans. Families are not detained here nor has any child been here. Further, an overwhelming percentage of the detainees detained at this facility are criminal aliens, meaning, they continued to commit more crimes after illegally entering the United States.
We are doing our jobs, enforcing the laws passed by Congress. Just like we have for many Presidents. We will not apologize for doing this, not even to a food truck that now chooses to discriminate against us.”
ICE Field Office Director Thomas Feeley
Cimino said they received more than 5,000 negative Facebook comments, 95 percent angry, and three canceled truck visits.
“We live in divisive times,” Cimino said. “People get emotional and feel strongly about issues like immigration policy, and social media magnifies those emotions, but we make lunch and dinner, not policy. We support all our communities.”
