DHS Says Anti-ICE Cookies in Los Angeles Are 'Garbage' Contributing to Assaults on Officers

The Department of Homeland Security said anti-ICE cookies sold by a Southern California bakery are "garbage" that contribute to assaults against immigration officers, drawing a strong rebuke from federal officials as the baked goods sell out at the store.

Altadena Cookie Company, a small bakery in Altadena, California, has attracted long lines after offering brightly iced sugar cookies with anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement messaging, including slogans such as "F**k ICE" and "ICE Out." The bakery has said it is donating all proceeds from the cookies to the Women's Foundation of Minnesota's Immigrant Rapid Response Fund, which provides support for immigrant communities in Minnesota.

"This demonization of ICE law enforcement must STOP," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement about the bakery to the New York Post, adding that "this type of garbage is contributing to our officers facing a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them."

The cookie company's Instagram account announced the launch of the themed cookies and thanked supporters. "Thank you for the overwhelmingly supportive comments and messages. And for those very few nasty messages we've received — boy, bye," the bakery said in a post.

The cookies, priced at $6 each, have drawn customers who say they support the cause and want to protest federal immigration enforcement policies. Co-owners Michelle Taylor and Jessica Christopher told the Orange County Register that they started making the anti-ICE designs in response to recent immigration enforcement activity in Minnesota:

"A lot of people are feeling the way we are. We're concerned about the state of things and we don't know what to do. Well, we know how to make cookies, so that's what we are doing"

Customers have waited in long lines before the bakery opens to buy the hand-decorated cookies, which often sell out shortly after opening. Some said they planned to share photos of the cookies online or bring them to community rallies.