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Reuters
4 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Immigration raids in Los Angeles hit small business owners: 'It's worse than COVID'
LOS ANGELES, June 17 (Reuters) - Juan Ibarra stands outside his fruit and vegetable outlet in Los Angeles' vast fresh produce market, the place in the city center where Hispanic restaurateurs, street vendors and taco truck operators buy supplies every day. On Monday morning, the usually bustling market was largely empty. Since Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials began conducting immigration raids more than a week ago, including at a textile factory two blocks away, Ibarra said business has virtually dried up. His street vendor customers are at home in hiding, while restaurant workers are too scared to travel to the market to pick up supplies. Most of the market's 300 workers who are in the U.S. illegally have stopped showing up. Ibarra, who pays $8,500 a month in rent for his outlet, which sells grapes, pineapples, melons, peaches, tomatoes and corn, usually takes in about $2,000 on a normal day. Now it's $300, if he's lucky. Shortly before he spoke to Reuters he had, for the first time since the ICE raids began, been forced to throw out rotten fruit. He has to pay a garbage company $70 a pallet to do that. "It's pretty much a ghost town," Ibarra said. "It's almost COVID-like. People are scared. We can only last so long like this - a couple of months maybe." Ibarra, 32, who was born in the U.S. to Mexican parents and is a U.S. citizen, is not alone in seeing President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigrants in the country illegally devastate his small business. It's happening across Los Angeles and California, other business owners and experts say, and threatens to significantly damage the local economy. A third of California's workers are immigrants and 40% of its entrepreneurs are foreign-born, according to the American Immigration Council. The Trump administration, concerned about the economic impacts of his mass deportation policy, shifted its focus in recent days, telling ICE to pause raids on farms, restaurants and hotels. The ICE raids triggered protests in Los Angeles. Those prompted Trump to send National Guard troops and U.S. Marines into the city, against the wishes of California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said violent protesters in Los Angeles had created an unsafe environment for local businesses. "It's the Democrat riots - not enforcement of federal immigration law - that is hurting small businesses," Jackson told Reuters. The recent shift in focus by Trump and ICE has been no help for Pedro Jimenez, 62, who has run and owned a Mexican restaurant in a largely working class, Hispanic neighborhood in Los Angeles for 24 years. Many in his community are so scared of ICE they are staying home and have stopped frequenting his restaurant. Jimenez, who crossed into the U.S. illegally but received citizenship in 1987 after former Republican President Ronald Reagan signed legislation granting amnesty to many immigrants without legal status, said he's taking in $7,000 a week less than he was two weeks ago. Last Friday and Saturday he closed at 5 p.m., rather than 9 p.m., because his restaurant was empty. "This is really hurting everybody's business," he said. "It's terrible. It's worse than COVID." Andrew Selee, president of the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute, said the Trump administration began its immigration crackdown by focusing on people with criminal convictions. But that has shifted to workplace raids in the past two weeks, he said. "They are targeting the hard working immigrants who are most integrated in American society," Selee said. "The more immigration enforcement is indiscriminate and broad, rather than targeted, the more it disrupts the American economy in very real ways." Across Los Angeles, immigrants described hunkering down, some even skipping work, to avoid immigration enforcement. Luis, 45, a Guatemalan hot dog vendor who asked to be identified only by his first name for fear of being targeted by ICE, said he showed up this weekend at the Santa Fe Springs swap meet - a flea market and music event. He was told by others that ICE officers had just been there. He and other vendors without legal immigration status quickly left, he said. "This has all been psychologically exhausting," he said. "I have to work to survive, but the rest of the time I stay inside."
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ice raids in LA continue as armed agents target immigrant communities
US immigration raids continued to target southern California communities in recent days, including at a popular flea market and in a Los Angeles suburb where US citizens were detained. On Saturday, as mass protests swept the nation, including tens of thousands demonstrating in LA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents descended on a swap meet in Santa Fe Springs in southeast LA county. Video showed dozens of heavily armed, masked officers carrying out the raid before a scheduled concert at the long-running event that features vendors, food and entertainment every weekend Witnesses told the Los Angeles Times that agents appeared to be going after people who 'looked Hispanic in any way', sparking widespread fear. A US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said on Monday that it arrested two people at the swap meet who are now facing deportation. The crowd at the swap meet largely cleared out before a scheduled 5.30pm concert, which was ultimately canceled, leaving the site unusually empty for a spring Saturday. Another witness told ABC7 agents were asking attendees where they were from: 'I told them I was from the United States, and then they proceeded to walk away, and they took a picture of me … I took it as a personal threat.' The swap meet arrests came at the end of more than a week of sustained raids and Ice activity in the region that have targeted day laborers outside Home Depot, car washers, warehouse workers, people outside churches and other residents in public spaces. The raids have continued as Donald Trump has sent the national guard and marines to LA to respond to protests, despite the objections of California leaders, who have sued to stop a deployment they deem unconstitutional. Also over the weekend, video emerged of immigration actions in Montebello, a suburb east of the city of LA. Last Thursday, armed border patrol agents, who drove in an unmarked car, ended up detaining Jason Brian Gavidia and pressing him against a fence by an auto body shop he runs, the New York Times reported. An agent interrogated Gavidia, a US citizen, asking, 'What hospital were you born at?' Gavidia, 29, was born down the street, and video shows agents twisting his arm, as he said, 'I'm American! … I'll show you my ID. I was born here.' A witness filming the encounter is heard saying: 'Literally based off skin color.' Gavidia was released, but Javier Ramirez, another US citizen who is Gadivia's friend and coworker, was detained by two agents, forced facedown on the ground and taken to federal detention, where he has remained in custody, the New York Times reported. Salvador Melendez, the mayor of Montebello, a city that is 79% Latino, told the Guardian on Monday that the videos and reports of Ice in his community had caused widespread anxiety. 'This is racial profiling. They're stopping folks because of the way they look,' said Melendez. 'Ice agents are terrorizing our community. They are taking actions and asking questions later. There is absolutely no due process.' Ice agents were spotted in a small area of Montebello, the mayor said. 'But psychologically, they are already in our whole city. People are not going to work, not going out, not going to school. People don't want to ride the bus. It's extremely unfair … seeing Ice agents come in with these big guns, it almost feels like a war zone. They're militarized to apprehend folks and they rough up our people.' After millions protested Trump in national 'No Kings' demonstrations, the president pledged Sunday to escalate Ice raids in Democratic-run cities, including LA, Chicago and New York. 'Folks have to stay vigilant, we have to look out for one another. If you see something, alert your neighbors,' said Melendez. 'It's beautiful to see people coming together, helping their neighbors and rallying against this … This is not normal and we have to be outspoken.' Immigrant rights' lawyers have said that people detained in the raids have disappeared or had little contact with their attorneys or families. Amid the crackdown, residents across the region have increasingly gone into hiding, turning typically lively immigrant hubs desolate. DHS and border patrol did not respond to inquiries about the detentions in Montebello, but Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary, said in a press release Monday: 'DHS targets have nothing to do with an individuals' skin color. What makes someone a target is if they are in the United States illegally.' A spokesperson added in a statement to the Guardian: 'DHS and its components continue to enforce the law every day in greater Los Angeles and throughout the country … DHS agencies will not be deterred from the completion of our mission.' In LA's Koreatown, a dense immigrant neighborhood, street vendors have been staying home out of fear of raids, causing significant financial hardships, said Andreina Kniss, an organizer with Ktown for All, a mutual aid group. Volunteers identified more than 60 families of vendors out of work and fundraised more than $50,000 for them, she said. The group had distributed funds to 36 families covering a month of expenses, as of Monday morning, allowing vulnerable workers to stay home. 'We felt like we couldn't stand around and watch them have to make the choice between being kidnapped and paying their bills,' she said. 'The city is being held hostage economically, and it's not going to end until these Ice raids end.' She hoped to see mutual aid efforts expand: 'The $2,000 you raise for a family might prevent a family separation. It can change people's lives. We're just normal neighbors who care about neighbors.'
Wall Street Journal
7 days ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Trump's Deportation Raids in L.A. Hit Longtime Workforce
LOS ANGELES—Pablo Delpilar immigrated from Mexico 25 years ago, has five children who are U.S. citizens, aged 14 to 22, and runs a small street stand selling toys from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. He is one of the millions of immigrants who make up greater Los Angeles's Hispanic community, one of the nation's largest and oldest. Some crossed the border illegally, overstayed visas or were brought here illegally as children and are stuck in legal limbo. They assumed President Trump wouldn't target them for deportation and that he would instead focus on criminals and more recent arrivals.
CBS News
12-06-2025
- CBS News
Video allegedly shows ICE agents detaining Hispanic U.S. citizen on Long Island
Video allegedly shows United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents taking a Hispanic U.S. citizen into custody in Nassau County. Legal representatives say this is a perfect example as to why ICE shouldn't be on the streets patrolling. Brentwood native taken taken into custody after vehicle stop The incident happened around 7:30 a.m. on June 3. Elzon Lemus, who was born and raised in Brentwood, was in a car on his way to work as an electrician when the vehicle was pulled over by ICE agents in Westbury. Video shows the 23-year-old sitting inside the vehicle and asking an agent, "What is this for?" "You look like someone we're looking for," an agent says. "Who are you looking for? Because it's definitely not me," Lemus says. "Let me see your ID, please," an agent says. Lemus refused to provide his ID because the agents didn't tell him more details. Legal officials say it is within his rights to refuse to show his ID since the agents were demanding it without any reasonable suspicion or probable cause. "If we don't get your ID, then we're gonna have to figure out another way to ID you, and it may not work out well for you," an agent is heard saying in the video. Without a warrant, the ICE agent is then seen reaching inside the vehicle and opening the passenger door of the car. Lemus said he stopped filming after they took him away in handcuffs, and that the ICE agents refused to identify themselves despite being asked for their names and badge numbers. Lemus said was detained on the street for about an hour and was in handcuffs for about 20 minutes. "I am a victim because of my race" Lemus' attorney, Frederick K. Brewington, says from the beginning to the end of the stop, the ICE agents were in the wrong for detaining him. "I am a victim because of my race," Lemus said. Brewington insists they were racial profiling Lemus and it was a direct attack on his civil liberties. "A violation of our laws and rights," Brewington said. "I was made to feel as though I was a criminal," he said. Brewington is calling on the U.S. Justice Department to conduct a full investigation. CBS News New York reached out to ICE for comment and has not yet heard back. Bill would prohibit law enforcement agencies from cooperating with ICE Some local leaders are speaking out about the incident. "Deeply troubling to see our civil rights being trampled on like this," Assemblymember Karines Reyes said. "As a former police officer and detective with over 20 years, I know exactly what lawful policing looks like and what it does not look like, and this was not it," said Phil Ramos, Deputy Speaker of the New York State Assembly. The Nassau County Police Department did not provide a comment, and it's still unclear whether they played a role. The county is one of the few where local government and police have entered into an agreement to work with ICE. Reyes is sponsoring a new bill that would prohibit law enforcement agencies from cooperating with ICE, saying they have other jobs to do. "There are real crimes, real community issues that our law enforcement should be focusing on," she said.
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Long Island school nurse reassigned for wearing coat with three controversial letters during 'Superhero Day'
A New York nurse has been reassigned after allegedly dressing up as an ICE agent during a Superhero-themed fancy dress day at a largely Hispanic school. The employee, who has not been officially named, sparked fury among parents at Northwest Elementary School in Long Island by wearing a hat and jacket emblazoned with the controversial letters on Wednesday. Amityville Union Free School District said her outfit was 'perceived by some members of the school community as offensive or inappropriate in the educational setting'. 'The District takes all concerns related to the school environment seriously, particularly when they may impact students, staff, or families,' officials said. 'Upon learning of the situation, the staff member was immediately reassigned to a non-school setting pending a full review.' The district said it is investigating the 'personnel matter', and will not be providing any further details about the incident. Sixty percent of students enrolled at Northwest Elementary School for the 2023/2024 school year are Hispanic, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Amityville residents and parents erupted in fury online, with several people calling the ICE costume 'disgusting', while others called for the nurse to be fired. 'I hope karma is swift and she loses her job,' one person said. 'This is so disgraceful on so many levels. I feel so broken.' Another woman said she was 'appalled' by the outfit. 'Her abhorrent behavior needs to be dealt with immediately,' she said of the nurse. 'Wow. Truly disgusting,' another woman wrote. 'Call the Amityville Superintendent's office and email the Board of Education to demand consequences for this school nurse - a disgrace to her profession.' It comes as tensions surrounding Donald Trump's sweeping immigration raids have reached a boiling point, with widespread unrest erupting across the country. Protests broke out in Los Angeles on Friday, in response to ICE agents allegedly detaining two truckloads of people at a manufacturing site in the California city. The demonstrations escalated into violence, looting and arson over the weekend, with several protesters also waving Mexican and Palestinian flags. Trump responded by mobilizing 4,000 National Guard members to quell the riots, along with 700 US Marines. LA Mayor Karen Bass also said a curfew had been put in place from 8pm until 6am in an effort to quell the unrest. 'If you drive through downtown LA, the graffiti is everywhere and has caused significant damages,' Bass said, adding that 29 businesses were looted on Monday night alone. Demonstrators have said that Trump's immigration raids are lacking due process, while breaking migrant families apart. The LA protests also inspired anti-ICE demonstrations in other cities including New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta. Some rallies involved a few dozen people, while others attracted thousands.
