Watsonville businesses struggle amid community fear following ICE sightings
WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Businesses in Watsonville are feeling the impact of recent events. Community members say fear has kept customers at home after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sightings last Saturday.
Mario Garcia, owner of Taqueria La Misma, says sales have dropped significantly.
"Las ventas no es la misma, han bajado muchísimo y la gente tiene miedo de salir," said Garcia. Sales have dropped a lot, and people are scared to go out, he says.
"Cuando empezó a poner aranceles también las cosas se dispararon hasta los cielos y los precios, también." Garcia notes that the challenges started with tariffs, which caused prices to spike. He says that led people to hold off on spending.
Since then, he's had to reduce his staff. "Ahorita pues solamente tengo un empleado y por tres días." Now, he only has one employee working three days a week. Garcia says customers often tell him they rush home right after placing their orders.
For his wife, Leticia Ruvalcaba, the situation is personal and painful. "It's really, really hard when my son tells me sometimes what's going on, and I'm like, What should I tell him? You know, there's a lot of issues," she says.
Leticia, who co-owns the restaurant, says fewer customers are staying to eat, opting instead to phone in their orders.
"Back then, they used to come and sit and talk to us, and 'Hey, how are you guys?' And now it's not the same, so it's hard. It's really hard just to see a lot of things going on right now."
Despite everything, Mario and Leticia say they understand the community's fears. Garcia says their goal is to keep supporting their neighbors and keep moving forward.
"Tratar de de ayudarles un poco también y de de decir pues estamos con ellos toda la comunidad y salir adelante." We will try to help them a little bit too and to say that we are with them, the whole community, and to move forward, he adds.
