Misinformation over donation to ICE agent sparks calls to boycott Chipotle
- Published on January 28, 2026 at 22:56
- 2 min read
- By Sahas WIJEWARDENE, AFP USA
Bill Ackman's hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management held a large stake in the fast-casual chain Chipotle until 2025, but he never served as its chief executive officer. Social media posts calling for a boycott of the Mexican restaurants over the billionaire's decision to donate to a fund supporting Jonathan Ross, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota, mislead about his current connection to the company.
"Boycott Chipotle!!! the owner just gave Renee Good's murderer $10,000 bucks!!!" declared a January 21, 2026 Instagram post calling for individuals to avoid the franchise.
"We're not going to chipotle anymore yall," said another.
Additional posts with thousands of interactions echoed similar sentiments.
The boycott calls came amid nationwide protests after Ross shot and killed Good, on January 7 as she attempted to drive away from officers who were crowding her vehicle, which they said was blocking their way.
The Trump administration insisted that the agent who fatally shot Good was acting in self defense, despite analysis of bystander video from the scene showing her car turning away from the officer.
Good's death prompted numerous misleading claims. AFP similarly found that the donation to the ICE agent who shot Good was not made by Chipotle or its current CEO Scott Boatwright.
The posts appear to be referencing a donation made by Ackman, who gave $10,000 dollars to a GoFundMe set up for Ross using his own funds (archived here).
Ackman confirmed his donation in a January 11 X post and said he had intended to donate a similar amount to Good's family but noted that the fundraiser for her had closed before he was able to offer support (archived here).
"The whole situation is a tragedy. An officer doing his best to do his job, and a protester who likely did not intend to kill the officer but whose actions in a split second led to her death," Ackman wrote.
Chipotle response
Ackman's hedge fund disclosed a 9.9 percent stake in Chipotle in 2016 and he played an active role in reshaping the company's strategy. However, he sold his shares and exited the company in November 2025, as confirmed by the company's current online portfolio (archived here).
Several comments under the posts showed a willingness to a boycott which prompted a swift response from Chipotle's verified accounts, confirming that Ackman is no longer affiliated with the company.
AFP reached out to Chipotle for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
Read more of AFP's reporting on misinformation regarding ICE here, here and here.
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