KENNER, La. (AP) — The doors of Carmela Diaz’s taco joint are locked, the tables are devoid of customers, and no one is working in the kitchen. It’s one of many once-thriving Hispanic businesses, from Nicaraguan eateries to Honduran restaurants, emptied out in recent weeks in neighborhoods filled with Spanish signs but increasingly fewer people on the streets.
In Kenner, which has the highest concentration of Hispanic residents in Louisiana, a federal immigration crackdown aimed at 5,000 arrests has devastated an economy already struggling from heightened enforcement efforts this year, according to some business owners. This has had far-reaching impacts on both immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.
“Fewer and fewer people came,” said a crying Diaz, owner of Taqueria La Conquistadora, which has been closed for several weeks due to fear among both customers and workers. “There were days we didn’t sell anything. That’s why I made the decision to close the business — because there was no business.”
On Wednesday, convoys of federal vehicles began patrolling Kenner’s main commercial streets as the Department of Homeland Security launched a recent round of immigration enforcement operations that have extended to cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Charlotte. Video footage captured federal agents detaining individuals outside businesses and at construction sites.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that federal agents have already made dozens of arrests, emphasizing that their operations are designed to target violent offenders.
The impact on this vibrant community is palpable as many fear for their livelihoods and family members. Sergio Perez, a Guatemalan immigrant and U.S. citizen, expressed concern for his loved ones living in Kenner without legal permission. He articulated a fear that anyone who appears Hispanic could be at risk of abuse by federal agents.
Diaz and others in the community now grapple with an uncertain future, as the repercussions of immigration enforcement transactions echo through their homes and businesses.
In Kenner, which has the highest concentration of Hispanic residents in Louisiana, a federal immigration crackdown aimed at 5,000 arrests has devastated an economy already struggling from heightened enforcement efforts this year, according to some business owners. This has had far-reaching impacts on both immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.
“Fewer and fewer people came,” said a crying Diaz, owner of Taqueria La Conquistadora, which has been closed for several weeks due to fear among both customers and workers. “There were days we didn’t sell anything. That’s why I made the decision to close the business — because there was no business.”
On Wednesday, convoys of federal vehicles began patrolling Kenner’s main commercial streets as the Department of Homeland Security launched a recent round of immigration enforcement operations that have extended to cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Charlotte. Video footage captured federal agents detaining individuals outside businesses and at construction sites.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that federal agents have already made dozens of arrests, emphasizing that their operations are designed to target violent offenders.
The impact on this vibrant community is palpable as many fear for their livelihoods and family members. Sergio Perez, a Guatemalan immigrant and U.S. citizen, expressed concern for his loved ones living in Kenner without legal permission. He articulated a fear that anyone who appears Hispanic could be at risk of abuse by federal agents.
Diaz and others in the community now grapple with an uncertain future, as the repercussions of immigration enforcement transactions echo through their homes and businesses.
