Mexican restaurants shut down over fear of ICE raids | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

When you walk up to a restaurant you frequent and find it closed, even if it’s a temporary closure, that can be frustrating.

Sometimes, however, circumstances can’t be avoided. An illness outbreak among staff, a death in the family, or even a problem with equipment can force a shutdown.

My wife and I, for example, sat down to dinner at a local restaurant last weekend, and as we got handed out menus, the power went out. We waited about 15 minutes, and when they told us it would be about an hour, we gave up and actually came back the next day for lunch to support the business.

Those closings, however, can be blamed on what you might consider an “act of God,” or circumstances outside the restaurant’s control.

Two Don Pablos restaurants, a small local chain not affiliated with the famous-name national chain that no longer operates, closed on Jan. 10 “until further notice” for a very different reason. Its owners were worried about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers being active in the area.

Don Pablos closed due to ICE

“Don Pablo’s Mexican Restaurant posted on its Facebook page Sunday afternoon the restaurants are ‘closed,'” according to local news website InForum.

That post came two hours after a post indicating the restaurants would be closed until further notice due to an “emergency.” The restaurant posted on Facebook that it would be “closed until further notice” due to “unforeseen family” circumstances. A second post simply stated “We are closed.”

A similar message was also posted on the Facebook page for a second location operated by the same owners.

“When asked through their Fergus Falls business page if the closure was due to ICE activity, they responded, ‘yes,'” the website reported.

“They did not get into our business. We just got a call that ICE was coming into town, we are just trying to protect our customers and our employees. We are nothing without customers and employees,” the restaurant owners wrote in a follow-up response.

Don Pablos serves Mexican food.

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ICE has broad authority

A September Supreme Court ruling gave ICE broad authority to question people about their legal status. The key aspects of the ruling are:

Broader Authority for ICE: The ruling permits immigration agents to consider factors such as apparent race, speaking with an accent, being in certain locations (e.g., bus stops, agricultural sites), or working in specific industries as part of reasonable suspicion for a brief detention and questioning.
Temporary Nature: It was an emergency stay, meaning the underlying case is ongoing, but it allows these tactics to be used for now.
Challenged Practices: The decision reversed a lower court’s order that had limited ICE’s ability to conduct “roving” raids and stops based on these factors in the Los Angeles area, which critics labeled as racial profiling.
Controversy: The decision sparked significant criticism, with advocates and lawmakers stating it legalizes racial profiling and increases fear within immigrant communities, while the administration argued it prevents “judicial second-guessing” and supports lawful enforcement. Source: Brookings Institute report: Racial profiling by ICE will have a marked impact on Latino communities

This ruling reinforces the climate of fear that has led restaurants and shops in several cities to temporarily close or limit operations, as owners worry about ICE questioning employees or customers.

While this stay allows ICE to use these tactics for now, the underlying case is still being decided, leaving communities uncertain about long-term enforcement practices.

Americans are divided on ICE

Under President Donald Trump, ICE has been active in trying to deport people living in the United States who are not here legally. That’s a change from previous policies, where deportation was not pursued when the only crime the person had committed was being undocumented.

Americans are very divided on the issue.

“As the Trump administration escalates its immigration enforcement efforts, 53% of Americans say it is doing “too much” when it comes to deporting immigrants who are living in the United States illegally. That share is up from 44% in March,” Pew Research shared in an April poll.

Overall, 50% of adults disapprove of the Trump administration’s approach to immigration, including 36% who strongly disapprove.
A smaller share (39%) approve, including 24% who strongly approve.

A majority of Americans said they do not approve of the way ICE officers are handling their jobs, according to a YouGov poll carried out the same day Renee Good was shot in the head and killed by an ICE officer in Minnesota.

In the poll, which YouGov conducted among 2,686 American adults, 40% said they “strongly disapprove” and another 12% said they “somewhat disapprove” of ICE’s actions.
Just 24% strongly approved and 15% somewhat approved, according to the poll, which showed 10% of people were unsure of their response.
The respondents were also asked about ICE’s tactics, with 51% of people saying the federal agency’s officers were being “too forceful.”

YouGov found 27% of people believed ICE’s tactics were “about right,” whereas 10% felt they weren’t being forceful enough.

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ICE has impacted businesses

Don Pablos is not the only U.S. business that has been impacted by ICE actions.

ICE raided Glen Valley Foods in Omaha in June, causing a ripple effect on other area businesses.

“It’s been pretty tough,” Julia Sanchez, owner of Neveria El Buen Sabor, told First Alert 6.

“Since the ICE activity happened at that meat-packing plant, we’ve seen a 50% drop in sales,” Sanchez said. “It’s been almost a month later, and things still haven’t gotten better.”

Similar issues are being reported in Chicago’s Latino neighborhoods, according to WTTW News.

Veronica Perez, a lifelong resident of Little Village and owner of Jesse’s Flowers, told the station that sales have plummeted since President Donald Trump took office. It’s a drastic drop she hasn’t seen since the pandemic.

“Nobody wants to come out,” Perez said. “They want to be stuck inside, and they don’t want to even send the kids to school, and I don’t think that’s right…I walk down 26th Street and I don’t see people, especially at night.”

Los Angeles businesses have also taken steps to protect workers from ICE.

“At gunpoint outside an AutoZone at South Central Avenue and East 43rd Place, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained two Latino men in a parked car as morning commuters drove past. Mauricio, an auto mechanic on his way to work, watched the June raid that would become one of several forcing repair shops across South Los Angeles to lock their gates and send workers into hiding,” LA Public Press reported.

Data show ICE has hurt businesses

Recent data from the Los Angeles Economic Equity Accelerator and Fellowship (LEEAFF) show that the impact of ICE actions is real.

“LEEAFF interviewed nearly 200 business leaders across the county, with an emphasis on areas where the ICE raids were most prevalent — including downtown, South and East L.A. The organization found that 43% of Hispanic/Latino business owners reported revenue losses of 50% or higher since June. For business owners not fluent in English, this jumps to 68%,” LA Business Journal shared.

Other communities have not been hit as hard.

“By comparison, 12% of Black business owners said they experienced major revenue declines along with just 5% of other ethnic groups,” the publication added.

Business owners and community members report that the fear sparked by ICE raids extends well beyond undocumented populations.

“No matter what your legal status is right now, we are all in fear,” said Sara Mena, co‑owner of a restaurant in Los Angeles, noting that even naturalized citizens and U.S.‑born children are hesitant to venture out, ABC 7 Los Angeles reported.