Business owners in Carpinteria say a large-scale ICE enforcement operation last summer continues to hurt foot traffic and sales.
Laura Sambero, owner of Carp Moon Cafe, said business has slowed significantly.
“As much as I don’t want to be worried, it’s been very slow,” Sambero said. “I’m always hoping it will get better.”
Across the street, Yesenia’s Boutique owner Marta Marquez said she is seeing the same trend.
"It’s been very slow since the raids started,” Marquez said. She added that fear surrounding immigration enforcement has changed how people move through the neighborhood.
“Nobody walks on the street anymore, not like they used to,” she said. “I don’t think people feel safe. If they see a car, they think it's ICE, they don’t go outside.”
She said customers now call the store to ask whether it is safe to come in, worried immigration agents may be in the area.
A survey conducted last year by the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce found that many local businesses have been affected by immigration enforcement activity.
Of the 176 businesses that responded, nearly half said they were directly affected, and 16% reported significant impacts.
For Sambero, the issue is personal. She said she plans to close her cafe Friday, January 30 in solidarity with the immigrant community and a nationwide protest.
“We will be closing,” Sambrero said. “I am an immigrant, and I feel how my people are suffering, and I want to show my support.”
