When federal agents raided a popular Arizona sports bar, they likely didn’t expect a public rebuke from NBA legend Charles Barkley, who called the action ‘disingenuous’ and ‘flat-out wrong’ in a sharp critique of ICE’s priorities.

On Monday, Federal authorities conducted a search operation at Zipps Sports Grill as part of an ongoing investigation into unlawful employment of aliens, identity theft, and document fraud, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This led to around 35 Zipps workers, who were in the country illegally, being taken into custody, a move that sparked a strong response from Barkley.

“I just think that Zipps is a sports bar. I think the one thing we can all agree with on immigration; if people out here are committing crimes, they got to go. I 100% agree,” Barkley said. “But if people, I’m pretty sure, and I wrote down a couple drug lords, I’m pretty sure El Chapo and Pablo Escobar are not flipping burgers at Zips in their spare time running cartels.”

“So, ICE, listen, man, if people out here commit crimes, please take them on. We don’t want any criminals, whether they are immigrants or not. Get rid of all the criminals, in my opinion. But to be raiding sports bars, that’s disingenuous, is just flat-out wrong. And it just bothered me living in Arizona,” Barkley further emphasized.

The NBA legend straight-up called out the authorities, questioning their priorities. The 62-year-old focused on the human aspect of these raids. While reports suggest that the alleged sports bar’s management was aware that employees were using fraudulent IDs to verify their work eligibility, Charles Barkley’s argument was simply that they were humans first.

He pointed out that these people were not harming anyone, and if they were, he agreed that they should be put behind bars. Nonetheless, this isn’t the first time the veteran has spoken up about the recent happenings, as Barkley also raised his voice just over a week ago, after two fatal law enforcement shootings took place in Minnesota.

Charles Barkley denounces the incident in Minnesota

It seems like Charles Barkley isn’t holding back on the current situation revolving around ICE, as just a week ago, the former NBA superstar addressed two fatal law enforcement shootings in Minnesota, calling the entire situation “scary” and urging someone to step up before this gets out of hand while speaking on ESPN’s Inside the NBA, which has made the headlines for seperate reasons as well.

Going back to, I think her name was Renee Good, and today, man, it’s just sad,” Barkley said during the broadcast. “It’s scary. … It’s gonna end badly. It’s already ended badly twice. Somebody’s gotta step up and be adults. Two people have died for no reason, and it’s just sad.”

Top Stories

Giannis Antetokounmpo All but Confirms Warriors Trade With 6-Figure Decision: NBA Rumor

James Harden Leaves Clippers if Insider’s $197M Report Turns Out Correct

Paul Pierce Puts Reggie Miller on Blast Over Controversial Caitlin Clark Verdict

WNBA Fans Split After ESPN Report Reveals Internal Divide Among WNBPA Leadership

Everyone Notices Caitlin Clark’s Reaction After Reggie Miller’s Viral “Disrespect” on NBC

The most recent incident Chuck mentioned took place on Saturday in Minneapolis, where a man identified as Alex J. Pretti was shot and killed during a Department of Homeland Security operation involving Border Patrol agents. This death followed an earlier shooting, which involved Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by ICE officers.

Barkley referenced both these incidents as he expressed his frustration over the current situation. These drastic effects of these shootings also extended to the sports world, with the scheduled NBA game between Minnesota and Golden State being postponed. Nonetheless, it seems like Charles Barkley isn’t letting these violent incidents go unnoticed as he continues to raise his voice against them.