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Federal immigrant sweep shows no signs of slowing down across Southern California, raising concerns that the fear environment is sending more people underground and changing the rhythm of urban life.
The previously raised immigrant hubs, including MacArthur Park, the Clothing District, Downtown Agricultural Markets and the East Side area, have been forced to close as a result of a noticeable decline in pedestrian traffic last week.
This is because social media exists in videos of immigration agents arresting at shopping centres, swap meetings, car washes and other businesses.
Archbishop of Los Angeles Jose H. Gomez said he was “disturbed” by how many of these attacks were carried out and how it caused deep panic among his majority Latino parishioners.
“People stay home from the public and work. Parks and shops are empty. Many neighbourhood streets are silent,” Gomez said in an opinion piece from Angelus, a local Catholic news outlet. “My family stays behind a door trapped in fear. …This situation is not worthy of a great country.”
On Wednesday mornings, the produce market on 7th Avenue, a place that usually gets bustling in the mornings, where customers fill up plastic bags with vegetables and fruit. Much fewer people walked between the shops than usual. The market has plenty of parking, with some of the regular stores closed instead.
“Now, the immigrants are raiding everything and no one is here,” said the guard who asked not to name them.
The nearby clothing district — a recent surge in immigration and customs enforcement operations began almost two weeks ago — had the streets empty except for a few customers peeking into the store. Workers there said there was no business since the immigrant raid began.
“It’s affecting everything and it’s affecting all of us,” said Eva Ibrahim, 48, who owns a store that sells dresses and suits.
A few days after the first attack, some shops remained closed as workers and customers appeared to be afraid to enter. Many of them backed up this week, but workers said they didn’t just have enough customers coming in.
“It’s like everything was paralyzed,” Ibrahim said. “…Many people don’t want to come out of fear that they’ll be taken away.”
It remains difficult to calculate the complete economic cost of the attack. However, city and county officials have sounded warnings that it could be far-reaching, especially as time has been strengthened enforcement.
LA County Superintendent Hilda Solis on Tuesday agreed to study how the county’s recent immigration blitz has affected the economy, noting how many county immigrants are stoned to leave their homes.
“They’re terrified,” Solis said. “You don’t see them.”
A few days ago, Mayor Karen Bass toured downtown’s historic Mariachi Plaza.
“It is uncertainty that has an absolute economic impact, but walking down the street and looking at the empty street is pretty deep.
On Tuesday, Archbishop of Los Angeles, Jose H. Gomez, said how many of these attacks were carried out and the way he was “intrusted” by the way that caused deep panic among his majority parishioners.
“People stay home from the public and work. Parks and shops are empty. Many neighbourhood streets are silent,” Gomez said in an opinion piece for Angelus, a local Catholic news outlet. “My family stays behind a door trapped in fear. …This situation is not worthy of a great country.”
In Angelus’ essay, Gomez appears to have questions relating to the military, warning the White House for placing the country’s highest ideals. He described it as “a beacon of hope for those seeking freedom from oppression and evacuation.”
Earlier this week, another 2,000 National Guard members were active and sent to LA to join the conditions of the US Marines, where 3,000 National Guard and US Marines are already deployed in the area.
The increased stress and confusion about immigrant raids run up and down the state. The administration has mentioned several things at once, covering all undocumented immigrants and not following people working in agriculture or other important industries. But then in a social media post this week, President Trump said ice summaries efforts in Los Angeles and other democratic cities would grow.
As ice presence in Southern California grows, so does their opposition.
In Pico Rivera, protesters marched on city streets after federal agents made a string of arrests Tuesday. City leaders distanced themselves from the attacks and raised concerns about “a legitimate suspension” and “options that appear to be targeting certain communities.”
At a city council meeting at Santa Ana, community members sought stronger policies to secure the city’s status as a “sanctuary city,” according to LAIST. This is the only city in Orange County. At one point, the city was exploring whether police could publish alerts they would receive from the ice, but the idea eventually surfaced, citing legal issues, the Orange County Register reported.
Trump’s appointee US lawyer Bill Essayli warned Santa Ana officials to abandon the idea, saying that “it would not only hurt public safety, it would expose the city and its employees to potential criminal prosecution.”
While cities are looking for ways to address community concerns and stay in the letter of law, ordinary citizens and community activists are opposed to ice agents where they can find.
In Pomona, activists gathered outside the hotel and believed that ice agents were staying there. A similar demonstration occurred outside a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport and Pasadena.
Meanwhile, inter-fiction groups were planning a prayer walk through downtown LA on Wednesday evening to help families unite.
“When we walk as public witnesses, we unite in prayer, non-violence, unwavering solidarity with our immigrant neighbors,” the group said.
Times staff writers Rebecca Ellis and Julia Wick contributed to this report.
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