East Boston restaurants see drop in immigrant customers due to increase in ICE enforcement
EAST BOSTON - Restaurant owners in East Boston said they've seen a drop in customers in their immigrant community as many are concerned about ICE raids.
Empty streets and dining tables
It's an unsettling trend that restaurant owner, Fernando Rosas, noticed in the neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. A once vibrant immigrant community, now paralyzed with concern.
"As a business owner and East Boston resident – I'm just down. The future doesn't look good," the owner of BONO Restaurant on Meridian Street told WBZ-TV. "It's like there's some sort of fear. You don't see that many foot traffic. Train stations are pretty empty."
Empty streets and dining tables, Rosas added, since federal immigration agents started carrying out raids in Massachusetts.
Last month, ICE Boston arrested a 56-year-old Dominican national who's a convicted drug dealer in East Boston, accused of attacking someone with a box cutter.
Residents concerned about ICE
Rosas said many Spanish speakers in the neighborhood are afraid of what's to come.
"They see something happening in the neighborhood, they are in alert mode," he said. "They decide not to leave their home, which is bad for our economy."
At the height of the lunchtime rush, La Hacienda was quieter than usual.
"As soon as he started saying that ICE is going to come in and actually take people away, it's been a huge drop," owner Aldo Callejas said. "Trump definitely coming into office. He came in saying that he's going to deport a bunch of people."
It's a fear of the unknown, these restaurant owners tell us, and the proof is in the numbers.
"It's 12:30 and our sales are $22.39," Rosas showed us. "I don't think any restaurant will exist having these numbers."
While many of his peers are afraid to speak out, Rosas feels an obligation to step up.
"Some of us have the responsibility to point out what's going on and I'm afraid that if things continue the way they are, we're going to see a lot of small businesses closing."
