Customers and family rally around Jacksonville coffee shop owner in ICE custody following SJC arrest

Supporters of a popular Springfield coffee shop are calling for the release of its owner, who is currently being held in federal immigration custody. Diana Marcela Mejia-Pedraza, 40, was arrested by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 2 after being accused of trespassing outside a Dollar General store in St. Augustine. She is now being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under an immigration detainer. According to her family, Mejia-Pedraza is a Colombian native who owns Art Essence Coffee on Main Street. They said she has a work permit, a Social Security number, and has been operating her business legally.