Business owners and leaders in Chicago’s Hispanic communities say the fear of deportation has undocumented immigrants afraid to venture far from their homes – and the local economy is taking a hit.
President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration has sparked concern for some in Chicago, particularly in neighborhoods like Little Village.
“People are staying home,” said Jaime DiPaulo, executive director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce. “People have fear to come out.”
DiPaulo said there haven’t been any major roundups, but that hasn’t quelled the fear – which has kept residents in their homes, and left businesses feeling the strain.
“You can see right now, we used to get a lot of people here for lunch - now it’s like people don’t want to go out. They are scared,” said Ezequiel Fuentes, who owns the Mi Tierra restaurant in Little Village.
Fuentes said after investing more than $2.5 million into his business nine months ago, his lunch trade is down by as much as 25 to 40 percent.
“Ever since the election, we have seen a small decline in business because we have seen people having a little bit of fear or animosity to come out and spend more money,” DiPaulo added. [[418022223, C]]
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Bringing in over $900 million a year, 26th Street in Little Village is one of the most important retail corridors in Chicago, second only to Michigan Avenue.
That’s why Fuentes, DiPaulo and other business owners sat down with Congressman Luis Gutierrez on Monday to find solutions.
“The city of Chicago is being hurt,” Gutierrez said. “Businesses across this country are being hurt.”
While there have been some highly-publicized raids, Gutierrez said they have been targeted and do not impact the vast majority of undocumented immigrants.
“We have come to say to the community: Listen. You need to continue to live your life,” Gutierrez said Monday. “You need to continue to shop, to live and to enjoy your life.”
That message couldn’t have come quickly enough for Fuentes and his 100 employees.
“When we started, all were full time. Now some are part time and we have to stay open,” Fuentes said. “We are a part of the community.”
Gutierrez also encouraged community members to pursue citizenship, so they can vote and help change the policies that are impacting them, adding that green cards are no longer enough.
