Immigrant-owned businesses in East San Jose have suffered huge losses in revenue and foot traffic since reports of federal ICE officers went viral earlier this year.
Fear swept through the undocumented immigrant community in San Jose after the Target store on Story Road became the location of an isolated Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in January. While no publicly-known immigration operation has happened in the area since, East San Jose business owners told San José Spotlight the lingering fear, and false ICE reports, are continuing to keep customers away — along with the profits they bring.
East San Jose businesses bring in about $4.2 million in tax revenue per year and provide up to 8,000 jobs, Latino Business Foundation Silicon Valley President and CEO Jesus Flores said.
“The majority of small businesses here, especially in East San Jose, are small taquerias, bread stores, they are our neighbors,” he told San José Spotlight. “We have close to 600 small business owners that are undocumented, so they face double the impact — loss of revenue and fear for their own (immigration) situation.”
As the Rapid Response Network of Santa Clara County remobilized to look out for ICE activity, Flores said he gathered dozens of business owners who said profits have gone down almost 40%.
Salvador Ibarra, owner of La Tropicana Foods, Bakery & Hot Deli for 30 years, runs his supermarket across the street from the Target associated with previous ICE activity.
With legitimate reports of ICE already scaring potential customers, Ibarra said he’s frustrated by false reports keeping people from going to the Tropicana Shopping Center.
“Most of our neighbors sharing supposed immigration enforcement sightings are acting in good faith, but some folks think about getting things on social media quickly before verifying.” Ibarra told San José Spotlight in Spanish. “We haven’t seen ICE officers around since the operation with Colombian nationals earlier this year. I hope people aren’t discouraged from coming to the market, because we’re all here to protect each other and this is a safe community.”
When not in his office, Ibarra is either checking in with his deli and bakery workers, or helping a customer find out if they won big on the latest lottery scratcher ticket. His customers affectionately call him by his Spanish nickname “Chava.”
Once a booming business, he told San José Spotlight foot traffic hasn’t picked up since immigration enforcement landed on the local news at the start of the year.
“Folks are genuinely scared,” Ibarra said. “I’m hoping folks will come back to Tropicana because we need them, not just for their business — we miss seeing our regulars in the community.”
Flores, the Mexican Consulate and Councilmembers Bien Doan and Peter Ortiz hosted a business showcase event at the Tropicana Shopping Center earlier this month that included numerous business owners in the area.
“I’ve been clear from the start that the threat of indiscriminate enforcement by the federal government presents a crisis with ramifications for the whole city of San Jose, including the economy,” Ortiz told San José Spotlight. “I will continue to fight to ensure that the city does all within its power to keep families safe and together, and our essential small business community afloat.”
Doan said his office also co-hosted and led evens in the Latino community including Negocios Unidos and Comunidad Segura.
Juana Renderos, who owns J. Store Vanessa, said she wants to see more business showcase events because they need a financial boost, and customers need more reasons to come out in numbers, which further ensures safety.
She said city officials can help by hosting more events and considering rent assistance for East San Jose small business owners.
“We’ve been treading water since COVID-19,” Renderos told San José Spotlight in Spanish. “After the last election we thought conditions would be better for workers, and small business owners like us, but things haven’t turned out that way.”
Contact Vicente Vera at [email protected] or follow @VicenteJVera on X.
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