An Irving mother says she was stunned and hurt after receiving what she calls an offensive and racially charged message on her Starbucks order.
Blanca Lopez says she visited the Starbucks inside a Target store in Irving last week with her two daughters and ordered a horchata latte. But when she received her drink, she says she noticed the cup was labeled with a message that read: “What do you call a sick eagle? Illegal.”
“It’s basically saying that we are sick, illegal individuals that do not belong in this country,” Lopez told CBS Texas.
Lopez, who is Hispanic, said she initially didn’t know how to respond, unsure if the message was a misguided joke or something more malicious. “When I read it, I’m like, okay… was I supposed to laugh? Why did she write this? For me, it’s offensive.”
She says the joke felt especially painful given her own experience - having lost close friends and family to deportation in recent years.
Lopez reported the incident to a store manager, who assured her the situation would be addressed internally. She says she plans to hold onto the cup as evidence until there’s a more formal resolution.
Activists, including Dallas organizer Carlos Quintanilla, called for a protest outside the Target location. But the demonstration was eventually canceled after no supporters showed up. Quintanilla still entered the store and livestreamed himself confronting staff before being asked to leave.
On social media, Quintanilla urged the community to continue holding companies accountable. “Even Starbucks and Target have responded to our insistence to clarify their position,” he wrote. “Let’s suspend our protest in forgiveness - and protest in silence.”
Neither Starbucks nor Target has publicly commented on the incident.
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