Last January, days after Donald Trump was invested president, immigration agents arrived at the Dana Beauty Hall, in Mount Rainier, in Maryland, two few minutes with the border with Washington DC. They looked for one of the employees, undocumented migrant, who were taken detained and maintained in a New Hampshire detention center waiting for a judicial hearing. To Daysi García, owner of the hall, changed his life. «They arrived a week day, I think it was a Thursday. That weekend nobody came, nor the workers approached to work, nor the customers came,» he recalls with grief. García is one more victim of the arrest campaign that the Republican launched and who seeks to carry out the greatest deportation in the history of the United States. Although they do not see their handcuffs, nor are they afraid that they will get on an plane with uncertain destination, many business owners frequented by Latinos are living a nightmare, because because of the fear of going out they have lost their clientele and, sometimes, even their employees. They are usually small, small Latin businesses. Located in Hispanic majority neighborhoods, they are characterized by offering services and typical products of their countries of origin and because Spanish dominates conversations. Restaurants and beauty salons abound, which have been one of the most affected by the fall of the clientele, although there are also food stores, service businesses such as party or artisan organization. “What is happening now is even worse than the Covid. Then people put on mask and came. Now they do not even want to leave their home,” explains Garcia. Only two months ago, five employees attended an average of eight or 10 people in one day. Now, three employees receive a maximum of three daily clients. He acknowledges being very concerned about the future of the business. «I'm worried about staying alone because people who work with me go, or have to close because there are no customers. How would I be able to pay the $ 3,000 to have it open if nobody comes?» Last Tuesday, ICE agents (Immigration Service and Customs Control) appeared in nearby apartments and took four of their usual customers.
Domino effect
Percy Pelaez-Conti, president of the Central American Chamber of Commerce of Houston, Texas, explains that the damage to Latin business is very large and that is due, above all, what the “domino effect” calls. «There are people who have their documentation in order, but they scare them too. They think, what happens if we also affect legal residents, or even citizens, etc., etc.?Daysi García working in his hall, Dana Beauty.gabriela Passosel Government defends that the deportation campaign is only directed against the undocumented who are criminals, a maxim that served for Trump to win the confidence of many Latinos in the past elections, who thought that those who did not have a criminal record had nothing to fear. The reality, however, has been another, and many of the detained migrants have not committed any crime, beyond having illegally entered the country. That and the fact of having ended programs that until now protected them from expulsions, such as TPS (temporary protection status) and humanitarian parole, is extending fear and anxiety between the foreign population. “When a grenade is launched, what kills you are the sparks or the explosion of surrounding, that is the same that is happening. That is, if it comes and grab 10 people and 100 people and 100 people. People are 10,000 people around who are being affected, ”he explains. The owners do not want to make statements or give the name of the room because they are afraid. ICE agents were looking for an employee, but took advantage of the visit and began asking for licenses to those present. They took several detainees. They are the collateral victims, that immigration agents are authorized to stop other undocumented, even if they were not their objective. Labor, according to the Institute of Migratory Policy.peez-Conti estimates that Latin companies have seen their business fall at least 30% since Trump returned to the White House and began his campaign against immigration. “The corporations have many millions of reserve and can wait for the economic situation to be restored, but small businesses are those who live week by week. It is very strong what it is impacting,” he says. Its accounting business and financial advice has also been affected. Latinos create more companies per capita than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. In 2023, they created 36% of the new companies in the United States, almost twice their representation in the general population. Some clients do not want to pay taxes for fear of their data and others do not make sense to pay them if they are going to deport them, «he says. Latinos stand out for their entrepreneur It is attacking the migrant population have sown uncertainty, even among those who reside legally in the country.
Workers in the beauty hall Dana Beauty.Gabriela Passos
'Buy tacos, tamales …'
The mayor of Mineapolis, Jacob Frey, echoed last month of the complaints of the merchants. «We need to support our Latinos companies now more than ever,» he said in X. Frey spread a video in which he visits several businesses, and appears tasting some tamales, walking through the central market and buying a Mexican sports shirt. «I am asking you to leave, to buy a taco, a tamal, clothes …», he says. «This not only affects them already their families. It affects all these East Lake businesses that depend on day -to -day purchases,» he said. In another Wheaton beauty hall, in Maryland, its owner, Krissia Sánchez, says the business, in which he uses 10 professionals, has fallen 60% in the last two months. Sánchez, Salvadoran of origin, set up his business 30 years ago and 95% of his clientele is Latin. No immigration agent has arrived at his premises, but he perceives his clients' concern. «People are afraid. Those who come comment on the problems that they or some of their relatives have had with the immigration authorities. And they are worried about spending their money,» Johanna Madrid also has heard comments to their clients. «I have listened to rumors on the subject to some of the people who come,» he says, although he says that in the Cuban restaurant of which he is a manager, the corner of the piglet, in doral, Florida, have not perceived a significant decrease in customers. 85% of the population of this city of 80,000 inhabitants in southern Florida is Hispanic. The socioeconomic level of this part of the state of the sun is medium high. Antonio Quijada, manager of the Venezuelan restaurant Panna, in the same city, explains that there have been no arrests in the area, but it has noticed changes in the residents. «There has not yet an immediate effect on the flow of people who come to the restaurant. It is more an emotional effect. People are very nervous, both customers that we personally know and our employees, who fear losing the benefits they had, as the TPS. They are looking for alternatives and advise them to consult with lawyers.» Most of the 18 restaurant employees are Venezuelans and Colombians. The TPS is one of the programs that offered legal residence to the migrants that the Government is over. And undocumented Venezuelans have jumped to the headlines this week because the government has deported almost 300 of them to El Salvador, ignoring the blockade ordered by a judge.
