Peter Andre was pictured having a bite to eat at Italian spot Uno’s Trattoria in Newcastle on Saturday (February 7), even taking time to snap a picture with servers.

The ‘Mysterious Girl’ hitmaker is said to have quietly booked a table, having been in the toon for show The Very Best of Frankie Valli starring Peter Andre at the Tyne Theatre.

Peter Andre at Uno’s Trattoria. (Image: UNO’S TRATTORIA)

Those on shift have now said how “lovely” and “genuine” Andre was, who signed the restaurant’s wall before leaving.

Supervisor Tori Robson told The Northern Echo: “He came in with his tour manager Carl and just casually asked for a table for two – obviously we were quite shocked!

“They had called us a few minutes earlier (we didn’t know who was calling at that point) to confirm our location as our restaurant had been recommended to him by the hotel.”

Peter Andre at Uno’s Trattoria. (Image: UNO’S TRATTORIA)

After his visit, Andre took the restaurant by surprise once again when he took to Instagram and shouted out the restaurant, telling his two million followers the “food was excellent”

“Every single person we met was so friendly and so helpful,” he said.

“I feel like there was this consistency of niceness everywhere.”

Speaking of the praise, Tori added: “He was a really lovely genuine guy, full of compliments to me and our manager Antonio regarding both our friendly staff and his meal (particularly how much he enjoyed our freshly baked in house selection of breads). 

“He even posted a video on his social media pages stating how lovely people in Newcastle are and mentioned how much he enjoyed his lunch with us!”

Trump had also criticised the choice of pre-game and half-time entertainment in Green Day and Bad Bunny. “I’m anti-them,” he said. “I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.”

According to the NFL, last year’s Super Bowl averaged a record 127.7 million US viewers across television and streaming platforms. It was also watched by 62.5 million outside the US.

NFC play-offs:
Wild Card Weekend, January 10
Los Angeles Rams 34 Carolina Panthers 31
Green Bay Packers 27 Chicago Bears 31
January 11
San Francisco 49ers 23 Philadelphia Eagles 19
Divisional Play-offs, January 17
San Francisco 49ers 6 Seattle Seahawks 41
January 18
Los Angeles Rams 20 Chicago Bears 17
Conference Championship, January 25
Los Angeles Rams 31 Seattle Seahawks 27

AFC play-offs:
Wild Card Weekend, January 11
Los Angeles Chargers 3 New England Patriots 16
Buffalo Bills 27 Jacksonville Jaguars 24
January 12
Houston Texans 30 Pittsburgh Steelers 6
Divisional Play-offs, January 17
Buffalo Bills 30 Denver Broncos 33 (OT)
Houston Texans 16 New England Patriots 28
Conference Championship, January 25
New England Patriots 10 Denver Broncos 7

February 8
New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks
Super Bowl LX, Levi’s Stadium, 11.30pm

Seattle Seahawks 5/11
New England Patriots 2/1

Sarah Ferguson is alleged to have been in a sexual relationship with Jeffrey Epstein but there is more to the disturbing love triangle between the pair and Andrew.

The troubling connections between Andrew, Fergie, Epstein and Maxwell have taken an even more shocking turn. Newly released emails and texts from Sarah Ferguson to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, revealed in the latest files from the US Department of Justice, suggest she was once “madly in love” with the disgraced financier and they may have “slept together”.

Millions of documents from the Epstein files have been released online, providing insight into the billionaire pedophile’s life and his connections with associates. They have also revealed new details about his disturbing relationship with Fergie, who he is reported to have “bankrolled” for 15 years.

From messages pleading with the predator to “marry” her to furious texts claiming he had “disappeared” from her life and “used her,” the emails have once again brought their bizarre bond into the spotlight. Their twisted connection has contributed to Sarah’s dramatic fall from grace, alongside her ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, who strongly denies any wrongdoing.

This week, on a live episode of his Lownie Report podcast on Substack, royal author Andrew Lownie stated: “Andrew was sleeping with Ghislaine, Ghislaine was sleeping with Epstein … I’ve heard that Epstein and Sarah were sleeping together. It doesn’t surprise me.”

The author, who wrote an explosive biography of the Yorks and spoke to numerous sources close to Andrew and Sarah, has now gone even further with his claims, telling the Mirror : “Sarah Ferguson was madly in love with Epstein and apparently spent several nights with him.”

In July 2025, Maxwell herself claimed Fergie had made advances toward Epstein, saying during an interview with Deputy Attorney-General Todd Blanche that Sarah had “put the moves on Jeffrey”.

On his podcast, Lownie added: “There’s a complicated psychosexual network going on as well as a financial one. Certainly Ghislaine and Sarah were not friends. I think Ghislaine was rather jealous of Sarah and vice versa. She felt that Sarah was moving in on someone she saw as her boyfriend.”

Andrew himself is alleged to have been an “occasional lover” of Epstein’s girlfriend, convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, a claim Lownie says was “common knowledge” within Epstein’s circles.

In Entitled, Lownie states the alleged relationship between Ghislaine and Andrew was on and off over many years. Andrew had previously said he met Ghislaine in Oxford in the 1980s, while the book claims “Andrew resumed his on-off affair with Ghislaine Maxwell” in May 1999, a few months after his 40th birthday.

Both Maxwell and Epstein were invited by Andrew to royal residences over the years. Former police protection officer Paul Page has previously claimed the pair were romantically involved, saying in 2022 he and his colleagues at the palace believe they shared an “intimate relationship”.

“From the way she was allowed to enter and exit the palace at will, we suspected that she may have had an intimate relationship with Prince Andrew,” he told ITV. “She was allowed to enter and exit the Palace night and day at will,” Page claimed, “Myself and my other colleagues formed the opinion they were in some sort of relationship.”

Back in 2007, Epstein admitted he and Andrew “have shared the same women”. He also dubbed the King’s brother his “closest friend in the world”.

Meanwhile, Maxwell has said she regarded Andrew as a “dear friend” following her sex trafficking conviction, but was reportedly “shaken” to learn the former prince’s legal team claimed the pair were never close.

Newly released emails in the explosive Epstein files suggest Ferguson once shared a close relationship with Epstein. In September 2011, Sarah emailed Epstein to congratulate him on having a “baby boy” – it was not previously known he had fathered children – before sending a furious follow-up message just minutes later.

“Don’t know if you are still on this bbm [BlackBerry Messenger] but heard from The Duke that you have had a baby boy,” the initial email reads. “Even though you never kept in touch, I still am here with love, friendship and congratulations [sic] on your baby boy. Sarah xx.”

Just eight minutes later, she wrote: “You have disappeared. I did not even know you were having a baby. It was sooooo crystal clear to me that you were only friends with me to get to Andrew. And that really hurt me deeeply. More than you will know.”

In a separate exchange from 2009, she wrote: “You are a legend. I really don’t have the words to describe, my love, gratitude for your generosity and kindness…Xx I am at your service . Just marry me.”

The blaze at Malone House in 1976, caused by two fire bombs, completely destroyed the Ulster Museum’s entire costume and textile collection.

A huge fashion and textiles collection lost in a fire bomb attack in Belfast has been brought back to life 50 years later.

The blaze at Malone House in 1976, caused by two fire bombs, completely destroyed the Ulster Museum’s entire costume and textile collection.

However, after five decades of painstaking work, the museum said the collection has been reborn.

It described a major new exhibition of the collection, named Ashes to Fashion, as a cultural moment for the South Belfast museum, Northern Ireland and the fashion world.

It will reveal 50 years of dedicated collecting, and highlight the expertise and resilience involved in rebuilding a collection from scratch.

Bringing together five centuries of historic and contemporary garments and textiles, the collection has been rebuilt through thoughtful curation, acquisitions, donations and bequests.

Among the highlights of the 120 objects on display is the Lennox Quilt, the only surviving item from the original collection.

Measuring 6ft by 6ft and entirely handstitched, the quilt was made in 1712 by Martha Lennox, the daughter of John Hamilton, one of the first sovereigns, or mayors, of Belfast.

It was purchased at auction by the Ulster Museum in March 1976, and escaped destruction as it was on display at the museum at the time.

The earliest object on display will be a rare stumpwork embroidery casket from the 1660s, donated to the museum in 2025 by renowned needlework expert Lanto Synge.

Other items include silk gowns from the 18th century, juxtaposed with modern pieces including a Chanel Haute Couture suit worn by supermodel Christy Turlington.

A range of pieces by international and local designers will be on display for the first time ever, including items from Northern Ireland-born Jonathan Anderson, as well as Elie Saab, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Rodarte, Christopher Kane and Kindred of Ireland.

Charlotte McReynolds, curator of art at National Museums NI, said Ashes to Fashion allows the museum to tell the story of what happened next, and not dwell on the profound cultural loss.

“The 1976 fire destroyed around 10,000 items in the original collection, with garments affected by flames, smoke, heat and water,” she said.

“For curators, conservators and the wider museum team, the incident represented profound cultural loss.

“Now, 50 years on, it has become an opportunity to reflect on our resilience.

“The exhibition traces the journey from disaster to recovery, revealing the meticulous work undertaken by a succession of curators, beginning with Elizabeth McCrum, to rebuild a new collection from scratch.

“Ashes to Fashion reframes fashion.

“It positions textiles as significant cultural objects that carry stories, emotions and history, which can be both fragile and enduring.”

Kathryn Thomson, chief executive of National Museums NI, said the exhibition is an opportunity to transform people’s perceptions of museums.

She said: “Ashes to Fashion is an honest and powerful response to a devastating moment in our history.

“It acknowledges what was lost, whilst celebrating the extraordinary expertise involved in rebuilding it.

“It demonstrates how creativity and resilience can emerge from even the most devastating circumstances.

“At the heart of the exhibition is a commitment to transparency and reflection.

“Visitors are given rare insight into the behind-the-scenes realities of museum collecting and conservation.

“Resilience and constant renewal are markers of the fashion world, and now also of the Ulster Museum’s own reborn fashion collection.

“We are immensely proud to put on this exhibition, our first major fashion exhibition in 15 years, and look forward to welcoming new audiences to experience the Ulster Museum through the lens of fashion and design.”

Various public talks and workshops in partnership with Ulster University will take place while the exhibition runs, allowing students, designers and the public to connect with Ashes to Fashion beyond the gallery.

The Ashes to Fashion exhibition will open at the Ulster Museum on February 27.

Tickets can be booked at ulstermuseum.org/temporary-exhibition/ashes-fashion.

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Morgan McSweeney has resigned as the Downing Street chief of staff over his role in the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, in what could be a fatal blow to Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership.

Sir Keir’s right-hand man, who was credited with masterminding Labour’s landslide election victory in 2024, has stepped down from the role.

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It comes amid mounting pressure on the prime minister himself to quit over the scandal and is already being perceived as a damage limitation exercise to save Sir Keir’s premiership.

Mr McSweeney was seen as instrumental in the appointment of Mandelson to the most important diplomatic post, a decision which has become an embarrassment for the government following the latest revelations about his relationship with convicted paedophile and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

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In a statement, Mr McSweeney said: “After careful reflection, I have decided to resign from the government. The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself.

“When asked, I advised the prime minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice. In public life responsibility must be owned when it matters most, not just when it is most convenient. In the circumstances, the only honourable course is to step aside.”

He noted that it “has not been an easy decision“ but after months of briefing against him from within Labour he insisted “my motivations have always been simple: I have worked every day to elect and support a government that puts the lives of ordinary people first and leads us to a better future for our great country. Only a Labour government will do that.”

Insisting that he “leaves with pride” he called for a complete overhaul of the vetting procedures in the future warning that they “cannot simply be a gesture but a safeguard”.

Sir Keir said: “It’s been an honour working with Morgan McSweeney for many years. He turned our party around after one of its worst ever defeats and played a central role running our election campaign. It is largely thanks to his dedication, loyalty and leadership that we won a landslide majority and have the chance to change the country.

“Having worked closely with Morgan in opposition and in government, I have seen every day his commitment to the Labour Party and to our country. Our party and I owe him a debt of gratitude, and I thank him for his service.”

But the decision leaves Sir Keir greatly weakened, with the man at the heart of the Starmer project out of government, and there are questions over whether the prime minister can survive in Downing Street without his right-hand man.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said that it raises even more questions about the prime minister himself.

She said: “It’s about time. But once again with this PM it’s somebody else’s fault: ‘Mandelson lied to me’ or ‘Morgan advised me.’ Keir Starmer has to take responsibility for his own terrible decisions. But he never does.”

It came despite his closest cabinet ally, welfare secretary Pat McFadden, saying that Mr McSweeney, who oversaw Labour’s election victory just 19 months ago with him, should not go.

Mr McFadden dismissed the calls for a change of personnel in Downing Street as “beside the point”.

But Lord Blunkett had led the charge for McSweeney to be sacked as the only way Sir Keir can buy himself time to save his badly damaged government.

The former home secretary told BBC Radio 4: “He needs a new chief of staff, he needs an opening up of the routes to him so that people can reach him and he can hear what people are thinking and feeling.”

open image in gallery

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Meanwhile, a number of leading female Labour figures including Baroness Ayesha Hazarika condemned “the boy’s club” in Downing Street which had led to the appointment of Mandelson as ambassador to the US.

She said: “Everyone knew Mandelson mixed in these circles. The calculation was these are the slightly tawdry circles in which the US President moves… we need a guy who sits in those hot tubs.”

Mr McSweeney, 48, had already been a controversial figure in the Downing Street operation and was facing demands to resign as recently as December, following a hostile briefing from No10 officials about health secretary Wes Streeting.

A close ally of his Paul Ovenden was sacked from Downing Street when emails with lurid remarks about veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott emerged.

But the outgoing chief of staff has had to fall on his sword after pushing for Mandelson to be made ambassador last year, despite concerns from the Donald Trump administration and red flags raised by the security services over the former Labour grandee’s links to China and Epstein.

Revelations that Mandelson leaked confidential and market sensitive government material to Epstein, as well as maintaining contact with the disgraced financier when he had been found guilty of sex crimes, have seen the Labour grandee forced to quit the party and give up his seat in the Lords.

Embarrassing pictures of Mandelson in his underwear with Epstein have also made the affair even more tawdry but there are claims that the security services warned Downing Street of the problems before he was confirmed as ambassador.

However, McSweeney has been accused of wanting to replicate the Tony Blair era of government and relied on big beasts from that period, including Mandelson, who had been his mentor.

To make matters worse when Sir Keir sacked Mandelson as ambassador in September last year it is understood that McSweeney pleaded to keep him in post.

While some believe McSweeney is being made a scapegoat to protect a prime minister whose own position is in doubt, others believed that McSweeney’s position had become untenable.

He had already caused controversy by ousting the previous chief of staff Sue Grey and replacing her just a few months into the government.

As the man who ran the election campaign in 2024, McSweeney, whose wife Imogen Walker is an MP and party whip, was also blamed for the overpromising in the manifesto which is in part responsible for the various U-turns in recent months.

Along with the prime minister he was also blamed for an apparent lack of direction and narrative in a Labour government which has plummeted to below 20 per cent in the polls and never enjoyed a honeymoon period despite winning a huge majority.

The resignation though has not protected Sir Keir from demands he also quit.

Asked by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg whether Sir Keir should quit, Fire Brigades Union (FBU) general secretary Steve Wright said: “Everybody’s thinking it.”

He joined a growing number of Labour peers and MPs who believe the PM’s position is “untenable”.

He noted that senior figures such as the current deputy prime minister David Lammy, who was foreign secretary at the time of the appointment, and his predecessor as DPM Angela Rayner, have said they advised against appointing Mandelson at the time.

Mr Wright said: “Unfortunately we’re seeing MPs being wheeled out again today to sweep up the mess behind the prime minister at the moment.

“I want to see the change that was promised and that this country needs.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Paul Thomas Anderson won the top prize at the 78th Directors Guild Awards, putting the “One Battle After Another” filmmaker on course to potentially win his first Oscar.

The DGA Awards, held Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, is among the most reliable Academy Awards precursors. In the last 10 years, nine DGA winners have gone on to win best director at the Oscars. In the guild’s nearly eight-decade history, only eight times has the guild not predicted the Oscar winner.

The award adds to a virtual awards-season sweep for “One Battle After Another,” which has won with critics groups, the Gotham Awards and the Golden Globes. It’s considered the favorite for best picture at the March 15 Oscars. Academy voting begins Feb. 26.

The other nominees were Ryan Coogler (“Sinners”), Guillermo Del Toro (“Frankenstein”), Josh Safdie (“Marty Supreme”) and Chloé Zhao (“Hamnet”).

As he’s often done through awards season, Anderson in his brief speech paid tribute to late assistant director Adam Somner, who died in 2024. “Obviously,” he said, “we are up here minus one.”

The awards, hosted by Kumail Nanjiani, were the first presided over by n ew Directors Guild of America president Christopher Nolan. He began the ceremony acknowledging “very hard times” for filmmakers.

“In 2024, our employment in our guild was down about 40%, and that was followed by another decline in ’25,” said Nolan. “The amount of money that people spend on our work, on entertainment, is very, very stable. Audiences are invested in us, we have to be sure that we’re able to repay that investment.”

Other winners Saturday included “The Plague” filmmaker Charlie Polinger for first-time director; “2000 Meters to Andriivka” director Mstyslav Chernov for best documentary filmmaking; and “The Studio” directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg for comedy series.

This county has a range of beautiful beaches, and cute wildlife waiting to be discovered

An “often-overlooked” county that is reachable from Cambridgeshire has been named as one of the most beautiful counties in the UK. The UK is full of spots full of natural beauty, with sandy beaches and scenic views, waiting to be discovered and explored.

One of these is the county of Norfolk, with many parts that are reachable by car from Cambridgeshire in under two hours. This pretty county has been named as the seventh most beautiful county in the UK by the Daily Express.

In its ranking, the Daily Express describes Norfolk as a place with “quaint seaside towns” and “stunning stretches of sandy beaches”. It also describes it as “often-overlooked”, but it has “plenty of stunning natural beauty spots”.

A spot recommended by the Daily Express for people to visit in Norfolk is Scolt Head Island, only an hour and 52-minute drive from Cambridge. Scolt Head Island is within the quiet village of Burnham Overy Staithe.

This secluded village is close to the more lively Wells-next-the-Sea. Scolt Head Island is an unspoilt nature reserve, made up of sand and shingles.

If visiting, people will experience a unique mix of salt marshes, tidal creeks, warm pools and rolling sand dunes. It is also filled with special wildlife, including rare birds, terns, insects, as well as mammals and marine creatures.

Another gorgeous spot to visit in Norfolk is Holkham, which also has a nature reserve. Holkham beach is a patch of pristine land, and is considered to be one of the most unspoilt stretches of sand in the country.

It is a great place for dog walkers, or to just enjoy a stroll along the beach all year-round. It is also a favourite beach amongst royalty, as The Household Cavalry enjoy summer breaks there.

The beach is most famous for providing the backdrop for the 1998 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love. Within Norfolk, there are many other beautiful beaches to visit as it is home to over 50.

These include Hunstanton, Cromer, Great Yarmouth, Brancaster and much more. For animal lovers, Horsey beach is a good place to visit.

This is because it is famous for its large seal colony, making it a unique spot for wildlife spotting. There is much beauty to discover in Norfolk, so why not take a day trip or weekend away from Cambridgeshire?

Cllr for Westhoughton South, John McHugh, was walking his dog around the reservoir, near Lostock, yesterday morning, Saturday, February 7.

The 60-year-old said he spotted one person in a camouflage tent on a nearby farmer’s field and two others, dressed in camouflage, in a field opposite, shooting geese there.

He said another passer-by had already called Greater Manchester Police, and when officers arrived, they climbed over the fence to speak to them.

They were escorted off the land because they were close to the public footpath that runs around the reservoir.

Cllr John McHugh said: “They are absolutely stunning creatures

“The path was close to where they were shooting them

GMP confirmed they were in attendance and all relevant checks were made (Image: John McHugh)

“Probably 200 yards away.

“Those geese are no problem whatsoever.

“They don’t deserve to have their heads blown off for somebody’s pleasure.

“There were a lot of people there who were as aghast as I was at what was going on.”

After speaking with the officers, John said they told him the people did have permission from the farmer to be there and gun licences.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed they were in attendance, and all relevant checks were made, including confirmed gun licences.

They said the people moved on and no further geese were killed, that they have also spoken with the owner of the land and enquiries are continuing.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — For days, Luis Ramirez had an uneasy feeling about the men dressed as utility workers he’d seen outside his family’s Mexican restaurant in suburban Minneapolis.

They wore high-visibility vests and spotless white hard hats, he noticed, even while parked in their vehicle. His search for the Wisconsin-based electrician advertised on the car’s doors returned no results.

On Tuesday, when their Nissan returned to the lot outside his restaurant, Ramirez, 31, filmed his confrontation with the two men, who hide their faces as he approaches and appear to be wearing heavy tactical gear beneath their yellow vests.

“This is what our taxpayer money goes to: renting these vehicles with fake tags to come sit here and watch my business,” Ramirez shouts in the video.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to inquiries about whether the men were federal immigration officers. But encounters like Ramirez’s have become increasingly common.

As the sweeping immigration crackdown in Minnesota continues, legal observers and officials say they have received a growing number of reports of federal agents impersonating construction workers, delivery drivers and in some cases anti-ICE activists.

Not all of those incidents have been verified, but they have heightened fears in a state already on edge, adding to legal groups’ concerns about the Trump administration’s dramatic reshaping of immigration enforcement tactics nationwide.

“If you have people afraid that the electrical worker outside their house might be ICE, you’re inviting public distrust and confusion on a much more dangerous level,” said Naureen Shah, the director of immigration advocacy at the American Civil Liberties Union. “This is what you do if you’re trying to control a populace, not trying to do routine, professional law enforcement.”

A ‘more extreme degree’ of deception

In the past, immigration authorities have sometimes used disguises and other deceptions, which they call ruses, to gain entry into homes without a warrant.

The tactics became more common during President Donald Trump’s first term, attorneys said, prompting an ACLU lawsuit accusing immigration agents of violating the U.S. Constitution by posing as local law enforcement during home raids. A recent settlement restricted the practice in Los Angeles. But ICE deceptions remain legal elsewhere in the country.

Still, the undercover operations reported in Minnesota would appear to be a “more extreme degree than we’ve seen in the past,” said Shah, in part because they seem to be happening in plain sight.

Where past ruses were aimed at deceiving immigration targets, the current tactics may also be a response to the Minnesota’s sprawling networks of citizen observers that have sought to call attention to federal agents before they make arrests.

At the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, the city’s central hub of ICE activity, activists told The Associated Press they had seen agents leaving in vehicles with stuffed animals on their dashboards or Mexican flag decals on their bumpers. Pickups with lumber or tools in their beds were also frequently spotted.

In recent weeks, federal agents have repeatedly shown up to construction sites dressed as workers, according to Jose Alvillar, a lead organizer for the local immigrant rights group, Unidos MN.

“We’ve seen an increase in the cowboy tactics,” he said, though he noted the raids had not resulted in arrests. “Construction workers are good at identifying who is a real construction worker and who is dressing up as one.”

Using vintage plates

Since the start of the operation in Minnesota, local officials, including Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, have said ICE agents had been seen swapping license plates or using bogus ones, a violation of state law.

Candice Metrailer, an antiques dealer in south Minneapolis, believes she witnessed such an attempt firsthand.

On Jan. 13, she received a call from a man who identified himself as a collector, asking if her store sold license plates. She said it did. A few minutes later, two men in street clothes entered the shop and began looking through her collection of vintage plates.

“One of them says, ‘Hey, do you have any recent ones?’” Metrailer recalled. “Immediately, an alarm bell went off in my head.”

Metrailer stepped outside while the men continued browsing. A few doors down from the shop, she saw an idling Ford Explorer with blacked out windows. She memorized its license plate, then quickly plugged it into a crowdsourced database used by local activists to track vehicles linked to immigration enforcement.

The database shows an identical Ford with the same plates had been photographed leaving the Whipple building seven times and reported at the scene of an immigration arrest weeks earlier.

When one of the men approached the register holding a white Minnesota plate, Metrailer said she told him that the store had a new policy against selling the items.

Metrailer said she had reported the incident to Minnesota’s attorney general. A spokesperson for DHS did not respond to a request for comment.

A response to obstruction

Supporters of the immigration crackdown say the volunteer army of ICE-tracking activists in Minneapolis has forced federal agents to adopt new methods of avoiding detection.

“Of course agents are adapting their tactics so that they’re a step ahead,” said Scott Mechkowski, former deputy director of ICE enforcement and operations in New York City. “We’ve never seen this level of obstruction and interference.”

In nearly three decades in immigration enforcement, Mechkowski said he also hadn’t seen ICE agent disguising themselves as uniformed workers in the course of making arrests.

Earlier this summer, a spokesperson for DHS confirmed a man wearing a high-visibility construction vest was an ICE agent conducting surveillance. In Oregon, a natural gas company published guidance last month on how customers could identify their employees after reports of federal impersonators.

In the days since his encounter, Ramirez, the restaurant worker, said he has been on high alert for undercover agents. He recently stopped a locksmith who he feared might be a federal agent, before quickly realizing he was a local resident.

“Everybody is on edge about these guys, man,” Ramirez said. “It feels like they’re everywhere.”