Chamblee barbers see business drop over ICE deportation fears
At the edge of DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, you'll find a small barbershop where the American dream is taking flight.
Every day, the barbers at Elite Dominican Barbershop on Clairmont Road help their clients look their best with a side of humor.
"I'm going to make sure you get a new wife again," barber Berhaneh Geohgeies joked with a client.
The barbers at the Chamblee business say things have slowed down because of concerns over ICE arrests and deportations around metro Atlanta, but they are determined to stay positive.
Before he immigrated to the United States, Geohgeies was an artist.
"I was a painter back home, he said. "When I came to America like eight years ago, the closest I got to the profession is being a barber, you know?"
Like many of their customers, he and his business partner, Frederick Baptista, were not born in the United States.
"We're here to support the Latin people, you know, because I'm Latin. I'm Dominican," Baptista said.
As fears around increased immigration enforcement have ramped up, the barbers' customers stopped coming in as often.
Baptista said more than 300 people used to come to the barbershop every month. That number has dropped to less than 100.
"They say like, 'Hey, I don't want to be out because I got my family waiting for me at the house.' So the people are scared," he said.
Now, Geohgeies says the future seems uncertain.
"I don't know how this will exactly turn out at the end of the day, but I know it's not going to be good," he said.
Despite the challenges, the haircuts will keep going at the Elite Dominican Barbershop. Their love for their craft and community keeps them going.
"When I'm feeling the clippers and I spray the water, I feel like I'm flying," Baptista said.