BOISE, Idaho — The controversial "Tip-for-Beer Immigration" promotion in Eagle is now fueling political fallout and drawing a response from a state lawmaker.
Republican Representative Stephanie Mickelsen says I.C.E. agents came to her family farm after a man, now celebrated by an Eagle bar, reported one of her former workers.
Ryan Spoon, the so-called first winner of Old State Saloon's month of free beer promotion, told Idaho News 6 he filed that tip believing the man he reported worked on Mickelsen's farm.
Hear what Ryan Spoon and Rep. Mickelsen have to say about the controversial promotion
"Basically, I repeated Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen. She gave public floor testimony on the floor of the Idaho State House in 2024— I believe it was— where, in her own words, she said that quote, every food processor in the state unquote hires illegals."
Here's an excerpt from Mickelsen's speech that day: "So if you guys think that you haven't been touched by an illegal immigrant's hands in some way, through either your traveling or your food, you're kidding yourselves."
I played Representative Mickelsen part of my interview with Ryan Spoon on Monday at the Old State Saloon.
Here's her reaction: "Well, I think for one thing, he didn't quote me exactly, and what I said and what my intention is— is that I think there are Ag employers out there that have undocumented workers that they may or may not know are undocumented workers."
Spoon says he submitted the tip to I.C.E. the day after President Trump was inaugurated and used part of the comment Mickelsen made last year on the House floor.
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He contacted D.H.S., who found a man who, according to Spoon, was already in their system. "An illegal alien who was arrested during the Biden Administration— I believe it was in 2021— he was arrested and charged with domestic battery, he choked his wife in front of his daughter, and in part of that arrest, they found methamphetamine in his wallet."
I asked Mickelsen about that arrest. "As far as I was aware, and am aware, he had a legal visa to be in this country, and later, after the fact, I did find out that when he was arrested, he told police he worked for a different farm, not for our farm."
Mickelsen, whose family employs hundreds of workers, says she decided to speak now to let others know she thinks the Saloon's promotion is "despicable."
"If we start targeting people based upon the color of their skin, we really have a big problem here."
Immigration attorneys warn that programs like this can lead to false accusations, targeting of Hispanic workers, and misuse of federal agencies.
Idaho News 6 has asked D.H.S. and I.C.E. to confirm whether Spoon's tip led to an arrest. We also asked whether the bar's promotion, which D.H.S. reposted on "X," factored into their response. So far, neither agency has responded.
We also reached out to the State of Idaho, which said that what the Eagle Saloon is doing with their "Tip for Beer Immigration" promotion is not illegal.
