Twin Cities restaurants compare life amid ICE raids to era of COVID pandemic

Restaurants in the Twin Cities area say ICE raids to enforce immigration law are making their business harder.

The Minnesota Star Tribune interviewed several restaurateurs in the Twin Cities about how their businesses have been affected by ICE under President Donald Trump. Mass deportations and enforcing American immigration law have been some of Trump’s most consistent flagship policies, but Latin American and Somali business owners are unhappy about it.

“As immigration enforcement activity increases in the Twin Cities and suburbs, food establishments are adapting, making visible changes like locking doors to lock out customers before entry, shortening hours, switching to takeout only, temporarily closing, and consolidating space. Many restaurants are short-staffed and owners are taking on multiple roles just to keep business going.” Star Tribune reported.

Rolando Diaz, owner of Marna’s Eatery and Lounge in Robbinsdale, said his restaurant is feeling the pressure of current events. His restaurant is one of many facing staff shortages as many employees are reportedly afraid to come to work for fear of getting caught up in immigration enforcement.

WALZ AND FREY DISCOVERED CHAOS AFTER ICE MOB STORMS AT MINNEAPOLIS CHURCH, WHITE HOUSE SAYS

“I’m a really positive guy, but I’m also a very realistic guy,” Diaz told the local news outlet, adding that ICE’s efforts in the area “are not something that can be completed in a week, so right now we’re just getting ready to hit.”

“During COVID, people were afraid to go out because they were afraid of getting sick and dying,” he said. “They are now afraid to leave the house and never come back.”

St. “We’re pretty much back to COVID,” said another restaurant owner, Miguel Lopez of Homi Restaurant on University Avenue in St. Paul, making a similarly stark comparison.

“I’ve had clients and friends who were stopped on their way here and asked for documents,” he told the local news outlet. “As a business, we are at a loss.”

According to the Star Tribune, Crasqui’s owner, Venezuelan-born restaurateur Soleil Ramirez, “stopped coming in after a recent incident in which Ramirez said a man who identified himself as an ICE agent was eating at the restaurant. Community members came out in support and stayed until closing.”

NOEM HAMMERS WALZ, FREY, FOR DETERMINING 1,360 ICE DETAINERS FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS

President Donald Trump’s use of ICE has been criticized as excessive by those on the political left and inadequate by many on the political right. (Getty Images)

He noted that as an immigrant, he had to train family members to run the restaurant in case he was detained.

“As a business person, I need a plan B,” he said. “But also as a human being.”

The implementation of ICE has also affected businesses of other cultures.

“Fardowsa Abdul Ali, owner of Albi Kitchen on the edge of downtown Minneapolis, said her colorful cafe filled with Somali desserts and sambusas has already been in trouble since footage of her business was featured in a viral video about a nearby daycare,” the local news outlet reported. He later added that he faced harassment on his phone as a result of the video.

“I really lost a lot of customers,” Ali said. “They’re not coming here.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE NEWS ON MEDIA AND CULTURE

Many critics of President Donald Trump on the left say that ICE detains illegal immigrants who have committed no crime other than immigrating to the United States illegally. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

CLICK TO REACH THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION

He said he was considering hiring a security guard for the cafe, but he couldn’t afford it.

“To be honest, I don’t feel safe,” Ali said. “I came to this country not to be afraid, but to be safe.”