An ICE ad was shown in the Durham Food Hall last week. Where things stand now

Days after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment ad was briefly displayed at the Durham Food Hall, vendors are slowly reopening with hope for change.

On Friday, Oct. 24, word spread about the ad after digital creator Joy Wilkerson (@joyeatsworld22) shared a video to her Instagram story of a screen with an image of Uncle Sam with text that read: “Join ICE today. $50,000 signing bonus.”

That afternoon, Little Barb’s Bakery, EX-Voto and Patty Boy closed early, sharing their frustrations on social media. After a protest from some of their employees, the entire food hall closed that day, too.

The food hall’s management team quickly posted a statement on Instagram explaining that the unauthorized ad seen on the hall’s TV monitors from a third party service. The management said they ended their contract with the service and reassured customers and vendors that they “are committed to a safe space.”

“Durham Food Hall is a space built on inclusion, creativity, and mutual respect — and we take seriously the responsibility to uphold those values,” its team said in part Friday evening.

Durham Food Hall vendors open

Still, those vendors remained closed throughout the weekend until Tuesday, Oct. 28, when some began to announce their return with shortened hours and support for the community.

“Closing our business for the past 4 days was not an easy thing to do,” the owners of EX-Voto and its sister concept, Patty Boy, wrote online Tuesday.

“Aside from the obvious financial impact a closure like this has, there are logistical, legal and emotional impacts as well,” the post continued. “If we want to continue providing necessary work for our employees and food for our community, the simple truth is that we have to reopen.”

The restaurants shared they will also donate $1 from every Crunchwrap and Patty Burger to Siembra NC, a grassroots organization focused on defending Latin communities in North Carolina, until the end of the year.

EX-Voto, Patty Boy

The EX-Voto and Patty Boy owners said they are working with the Durham Food Hall management to provide training on how to deal with ICE.

The Durham Food Hall management told The News & Observer Tuesday in an email they had approved their request.

Little Barb’s

Barbara Nigro, owner of Little Barb’s, a bakery, said she planned to reopen on Wednesday, but she hoped the food hall’s management would do more than what she called “the bare minimum.”

“I feel like the food hall needs to be donating, not just the individual vendors,” Nigro said. “We need to be using this huge massive space as somewhere that people can come and they can organize protests. Or maybe we give the food hall, as a whole, staff training on what to do if ICE comes into these doors because we don’t know.”

Protesting ICE through dessert

In the meantime, Nigro also created a fundraiser to benefit Siembra NC: desserts with anti-ICE sentiments in icing.

“I express myself better with cakes and cookies so that was the only thing I knew that I could crank out,” Nigro said Tuesday. “I did not know people were gonna want them. I just used it in order to say ‘We’re closed’ and then people were like ‘Oh we love this. Can we have them?’

“I did not realize that people were going to be so supportive. I tend to be vocal about a lot of things and I think all the support that we’re getting right now shows how people are feeling with the political climate and how our world is going right now.”

However, the Durham Food Hall management asked the bakery not to use explicit language on the desserts because it “does not add anything to the conversation and detracts from being inclusive.” Instead, they suggested “better use of the language” and stated their full support in wanting to help get the message about the Siembra donations.

ICE arrests in NC

Since President Donald Trump took office, immigration arrests have risen sharply in North Carolina, The Charlotte Observer recently reported.

Statewide, ICE arrested about 1,940 people from Jan. 20 until the end of June. At least 60% have left or were deported, according to an analysis of federal data collected by the Deportation Data Project through Freedom of Information Act requests.

About one in five people had reported no criminal charges or convictions, the data says, though ICE says they had immigration violations.

The full ICE and arrest deportation counts in North Carolina are likely higher, as the database — which includes arrests across the country — had incomplete information.

Durham Food Hall history

The Durham Food Hall opened in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic on Foster Street. It has several food vendors serving an array of cuisines, a bar and event space.

Since the incident last week, the hall — which boasts itself as a “chef-driven culinary and cocktail experience where everyone is welcome” — tells The N&O they have expressed multiple times that they’re committed to being a safe space.

“Moving forward, we’ll continue to prioritize transparency, thoughtful collaboration, and a shared commitment to the diverse voices that make Durham Food Hall special,” the management said in an emailed statement.

This story has been updated. Reporting by Caitlin McGlade contributed to this story.

This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 5:30 AM.