Businesses in Arvin are struggling to survive after ICE raids drove customers away from storefronts, forcing owners to adapt with delivery services and special deals just to stay open.
Salvador Gomez, owner of La Raza Market in Arvin, said the impact was immediate. After last year's raids, foot traffic at his grocery stores dropped sharply. He responded by purchasing a van to bring groceries directly to customers too afraid to leave their homes.
"I had to buy vans to make deliveries because undocumented people don't come," Gomez said.
Gomez said he began noticing unfamiliar faces in his stores after last year's raids. Parents, he said, are no longer coming in themselves.
"They send their kids, teens but the parents don't come they're scared, they're terrorized," Gomez said.
Gomez is not the only business owner feeling the ripple effects. Other shops in Arvin have been forced to adapt, offering deliveries just to keep their doors open.
At Fit Fusion, owner Guadalupe Hidalgo said the change has been stark. At noon, his store was completely empty. Hidalgo said business has never been the same since immigration enforcement began.
"The raids affected because people stopped coming, a lot of clients," Hidalgo said. "So we have to go out and deliver to their homes."
Next door to Fit Fusion, co-owner Josefina Jimenez of Vargas Pinaas Mexican Restaurant said her business has tried everything to bring customers back.
"We tried to offer specials, do deliveries, but more specials to try to get people to order," Jimenez said. "Super slow, it changed, super empty people didn't want to leave, nothing."
For Gomez, that transparency is meaningful.
"It's good what Arvin did... I hope other cities do the same and not hide the reality," Gomez said.
All of the business owners interviewed said they are hoping conditions in Arvin will change.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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