In the vibrant neighborhood of Sunset Park, located in southwestern Brooklyn, a dense immigrant community thrives alongside the Upper Bay. Known for its diverse Latin American cuisine, the area’s 5th Avenue has seen a drastic change in the daily lives of its residents, especially those from Latino backgrounds.
Restaurant owners in the area report a significant decline in sales, attributing the downturn to increased ICE sightings that have instilled fear within the community. Many undocumented residents, concerned about their safety, are opting to stay home rather than dine out or shop, making them feel more vulnerable in public spaces.
A 62-year-old woman who runs a Guatemalan restaurant and grocery store near the neighborhood’s hilltop park noted that her profits have decreased by 30% within just the last three weeks. Previously, her daily sales averaged around $2,400 but have now fallen to only $1,700 to $1,800 a day.
“It’s a tough time for me,” she disclosed to the Daily News. “It’s affected me. It is very slow. A lot of people don’t want to come because they don’t know what’s happening at the moment.”
Due to concerns about potential repercussions, the woman requested anonymity while sharing her story.
Earlier this year, she witnessed ICE agents staking out a corner on 5th Avenue, a crucial route in the neighborhood, for nearly two weeks as they appeared to be searching for specific individuals to arrest. Recently, rumors of ICE activity in the northeastern part of the neighborhood, specifically at 43rd St. and Fort Hamilton Parkway, have circulated among migrant residents through group chats and social media.
These reports of ICE presence have led to a noticeable drop in her regular customers, most of whom are undocumented migrants from Guatemala. “People are scared a lot,” she said, reflecting on the impact of the heightened enforcement. “Most of my customers, they don’t have papers. A lot of people stay in the house; more people do deliveries.”
The atmosphere of fear extends beyond mere sightings. In addition to local ICE encounters, the spike in arrests occurring within city immigration courts is also causing anxiety among the community. Daily reports indicate that individuals have been detained during routine check-ins, further escalating fears.
The crackdown corresponds with recent comments made by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who stated the administration aims for ICE to carry out 3,000 arrests each day, with potential for that number to rise.
Among those affected is the Guatemalan restaurant owner, who expressed concern for one of her employees following their required court appearance for an asylum case in July. “I told him he needs to get a lawyer. There is a lot of risk to go there. And there is a risk not going there. It’s the same,” she explained.
The unpredictable tactics from the Trump administration have left the community feeling paranoid about their future. However, a senior ICE official issued a memo instructing agents to largely suspend raids and arrests in restaurants, hotels, and agricultural sectors, as reported by the New York Times. The memo mentioned a directive for agents to refrain from arresting “noncriminal collaterals,” referring to undocumented individuals without a criminal background.
The owner stated that nearly all her employees are young, single undocumented migrants hailing from Sololá, Guatemala. She recounted concerns expressed by a delivery worker who said, “he’s scared. He tells me I’m not safe.”
Having grown up in impoverished conditions near Guatemala City, the restaurant owner shared her harrowing past, which led her to immigrate to the U.S. Her family initially moved to Los Angeles after an earthquake destroyed their home in the late ’70s. When she crossed the border at age 20, she was pregnant with her daughter and had her 2-year-old son by her side, hoping to find a better life.
“[Guatemala] is dangerous. No money. No security. Sometimes we come from our country to be safe, and now the United States isn’t safe,” she lamented. “You hear the news, and you feel unsafe. Me, I’m thinking, I have my kids, my grandkids here. My life is here. My family’s here.”
Just a block away from her restaurant, a 54-year-old migrant has been managing a Mexican deli and restaurant for 25 years. He lamented that business is slow due to fear among patrons. “People are scared. They’re not going shopping. It’s bad. It’s bad. The business is going down, down down,” he said, noting that sales have plummeted from around $1,000 daily to only $500 to $600.
With this continuing trend, he worries about affording his $900 rent for his shared living space. His worry reflects a pained reality that many in the neighborhood face as consumer behavior shifts due to anxiety over ICE.
At a nearby taco spot on 4th Avenue, a waitress remarked on the dwindling number of dine-in customers. “The Americans come, but the Mexicans, I haven’t seen them,” she noted, indicating that delivery orders are taking precedence, resulting in lower tip amounts for the staff.
The trend was echoed by a waitress at a Venezuelan restaurant, who surmised that the decline in foot traffic was due to increased tariffs, inflation, and the pervasive fear instilled by ICE activities.
Another individual, Albaro, a baker at a Mexican bakery on 5th Avenue, commented on the shift in customer numbers within just a short time span. “I’ve seen the difference between three weeks ago and now. In general, there’s less customers,” the 34-year-old shared. “I’m a citizen and it also affects me because of my job. I’m iffy if I’m gonna stay here because if sales go down more, I’ll probably have less hours.”
Joel Almanzar, a Bay Ridge resident, visited Sunset Park for lunch on Thursday and was taken aback by the normally crowded restaurant that was nearly empty. “This time [of day] it used to be always packed. Now with what’s going on, you see the decrease a lot. At this time [of day], you couldn’t even go in here. You had to call and order the food. Now you can just walk in,” he observed.
As a Dominican-born U.S. citizen, Almanzar expressed his disapproval of the ICE actions taking place throughout the city. “I’ll say one thing. They should take out the bad people. The people that are working, doing stuff, they don’t have no criminal record; they should leave them alone,” he said, emphasizing the plight of those pursuing a better life.
“The people that are working, doing the right thing, trying to get a better future. That’s why we come over here. This is the land of the free.”
image source from：https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/06/14/brooklyn-neighborhood-fear-ice-crackdown-hitting-restaurants-grocery-stores-trump/
