Danny Trejo Says He Is Not Pro-ICE as Son Defends Pawn Shop Role

Danny Trejo says taking a role in “Pawn Shop” should not be mistaken for support for ICE. The actor’s son, Gilbert Trejo, has also defended his involvement, claiming his father did not know Ben Shapiro was connected to the film until production was underway, according to Variety and USA Today.

What Danny Trejo said about Pawn Shop

Trejo addressed criticism of his casting in an Oct. 9 Instagram statement. “I am a proud Mexican who has always been and will always be a supporter of my community. I am also obviously pro immigrant. I am not pro ice,” he wrote, as quoted by USA Today.

“I know where I come from and I know our struggles. I am an actor. My job is to tell a story,” he added. The statement did not directly address the film’s plot, USA Today notes.

His son’s account of the casting

Gilbert said in an Instagram Story that his father had “never heard of Ben Shapiro” before accepting the job. He claimed the family learned of Shapiro’s involvement about two weeks into shooting.

According to Gilbert, the agent described the role as a hardworking Mexican shop owner seeking peace in a complicated situation. His father welcomed the chance to play a good guy, Variety reports.

Gilbert also claimed contract terms prevented Trejo from criticizing Shapiro or the film, or leaving without risking a breach-of-contract lawsuit. Those are his claims about the agreement. The reports do not reproduce the contract, so its terms are not independently established here.

Why the production drew protests

“Pawn Shop,” the film’s working title, is produced in part by Shapiro’s company, The Daily Wire, and was filmed in Livingston, Montana. USA Today reports that the script centers on immigration enforcement and that residents raised concerns about road closures, security and disruption to local businesses.

The Livingston City Commission temporarily suspended the filming permit before voting on Oct. 5 to reinstate it with conditions allowing businesses to operate as usual. City attorney Jon Hesse said the film’s content was not the basis for the suspension, according to USA Today.

Shapiro offered a different account in an Oct. 6 YouTube video, saying protesters had disrupted filming from its first day. Trejo’s statement and his son’s defense concern why he accepted the role; they do not settle the separate dispute over the production’s impact on the town.

For more movie coverage, read about Joe Manganiello’s memoir and casting claims and James McAvoy’s account of his early TV work.

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Sources: Variety, USA Today. By Kasim Pathan. Published Oct. 14, 2026. The featured image is an editorial cartoon, not a photograph.