The Danny Trejo Pawn Shop controversy has drawn a response from the actor, who says he is pro-immigrant, not pro-ICE, according to Deadline.

The Los Angeles-born actor, who is Mexican-American, posted his statement on social media on Friday. Deadline describes the film as pro-ICE and says it comes from Ben Shapiro’s production company and Dallas Sonnier’s Bonfire Legend.

“I am also obviously, pro-immigrant. I am not pro-ICE,” Danny Trejo wrote in his social media statement.

Trejo called himself a proud Mexican who has always supported his community. He said he knows where he comes from and knows his community’s struggles, and that his job as an actor is to tell a story. He signed off with a short farewell, “God Bless you, Danny.”

Filming in Livingston, Montana, has been underway since the shoot began, and locals have protested it during that time. Deadline’s timeline runs like this: production was temporarily suspended last weekend, it resumed on Tuesday under a revised film permit, and Trejo posted his statement on Friday.

Terms of the revised permit

The new terms require the crew to ensure food pantry access for locals at the Livingston Food Resource Center. They also shield the public from the shooting of violent scenes and from noise.

The production also agreed to address criticism of its use of private security. Under the agreement, there will be no policing or harassing of locals on nearby public streets. For residents, the permit answers several specific complaints that had been raised during the shoot.

“a violation of the First Amendment,” Ben Shapiro said of the suspension of filming. Shapiro also said the film’s critics oppose free speech.

Why are locals protesting?

Protesters have objected to the alleged use of blank gunshots, pyrotechnics and a staged car wreck. They say these happened without proper notice to residents and businesses.

Deadline also reports that the film’s opening scene appears to dramatize ICE’s fatal shooting of Renée Good in Minnesota back in January. That detail has added to the pushback from the town.

The synopsis places a young federal agent in Minneapolis. After his partner is seriously hurt, he takes shelter in a neighborhood pawn shop with a traditional Hispanic father and his progressive college-age son. The three men are forced to confront fear and conflicting beliefs.

Labor status and the cast

Carter Boehm, a Rust producer, is serving on the production team. Deadline has confirmed the film is not under an IATSE contract, but it is under a conditional start with SAG-AFTRA.

Pawn Shop is the latest collaboration between Bonfire Legend and Daily Wire. Their last film, Run Hide Fight: Infidels, was picketed by IATSE. Several crew members walked off over labor issues in South Carolina shortly before Jonathan Majors was involved in an on-set accident, which left co-star JC Kilcoyne needing stitches after falling through a window.

In addition to Trejo, the cast includes Harvey Keitel and Henry Thomas. Deadline’s reporting does not say what comes after the revised permit terms.

Quick answers

Is Danny Trejo in Pawn Shop?
Yes. According to Deadline, Trejo is in the cast, which also includes Harvey Keitel and Henry Thomas.

Is Pawn Shop under an IATSE contract?
Deadline has confirmed the film is not under an IATSE contract. It is under a conditional start with SAG-AFTRA.

Source: Deadline