Updated Feb. 7, 2026, 6:32 p.m. ET
SAN FRANCISCO – Martha Stewart says she’s typically “an extremely optimistic person,” but she’s “feeling a little bit down” right now.
“I’m not happy with what’s going on with immigration,” the entrepreneur and TV host, 84, tells USA TODAY. “We got a notice in my town of Bedford, NY, that ICE was in the schools. That’s extremely depressing. And this is a beautiful suburban town, an hour from New York City. It’s crazy. ‘Big brother’ watching is not an easy way to live.”
The Daily Voice reported that in a message to families, the Bedford Central School District confirmed ICE officers were in the area.
“ICE was in Mount Kisco this morning looking for a specific individual,” Superintendent Rob Glass wrote, according to the Daily Voice. “We want to reassure you that we have clear, specific protocols in place for addressing any potential interactions with ICE agents.”
As for Stewart, she recently spoke out about the federal government’s handling of immigration after the urging from her 14-year-old granddaughter Jude.
“I’m not sure it’s excusable to not being speaking up right now,” Jude wrote in a message to Stewart, which the TV chef posted on Instagram.
“She is fourteen and sensitive to what is going on in our country as we all should be. I am disheartened and sad each and every day that we cannot demonstrate our sympathy for the beleaguered,” Stewart said in her post. “We are told immigrants – which most of us are or descended from – are unwelcome, that we cannot show our frustration in peaceful demonstrations and that we can be attacked and even killed by Federal troops.”
Stewart’s initial comments came after tension over ICE’s crackdown boiled over in Minneapolis following two high-profile incidents. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen, in January. Good was protesting against ICE agents in Twin Cities.
Alex Pretti was also killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis in January. In both instances, the Trump administration characterized the shootings as an act of self-defense, while local authorities have pointed to video evidence that appears to show that Pretti wasn’t brandishing a weapon and that Good wasn’t a threat to officers.
“I’m not going to get terribly political and criticize anybody individually,” Stewart said to USA TODAY ahead of the Super Bowl. “America’s a beautiful place, and we have had such a beautiful life here, and we have to continue to have that.”
Martha Stewart teams with Pepsi to highlight small businesses
The Emmy-award-winning TV personality Stewart spoke with USA TODAY at an appearance with Pepsi during Super Bowl week in San Francisco. Pepsi hosted “Bay Area Local Eats,” at the NFL Fan Experience, which showcased a number of local restaurants in the area.
Stewart praised Pepsi, who she’s partnered with for “several years,” for helping out small businesses with tasks like public relations and social media marketing.
“Everything is extremely expensive,” she says of business costs, pointing to a December 2025 Wall Street Journal story that explained out a $500 tab at a restaurant can yield only $25 profit. “That was their profit because of labor costs and because of food costs, and because of rents and because of everything else that goes on.
Restaurants are “a very hard business right now,” Stewart continued. “The cost of living has soared. And yet, we all love to eat out. We all love to support our local restaurants. So, what to do? That’s a problem.”
Contributing: Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY
