Latino businesses in Rochester hurting as ICE ramps up presence in greater Minnesota
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Wilber de la Rosa sells fresh tortillas, rotisserie chicken and tamales at his shop Tortillas La Mayzteca.
In recent weeks, as the Trump administration has significantly increased its immigration enforcement actions, business has been down at his Rochester shop, as many of his customers are members of the city’s Latino community.
"Almost eight weeks in a row [we’ve seen] decreased selling because of this fear. People don't want to go outside and buy stuff,” he said.
De la Rosa says he's not alone in his community. Hispanic food trucks are shuttered. Hispanic groceries are opening late if they open at all.
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Business dropped off even more in recent days, after an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Macklin Good in Minneapolis. More ICE agents and their vehicles have been spotted in and around Rochester. Videos shared online show agents questioning and detaining people on Mayo Clinic property, at a gas station, at apartment complexes and in front of a local TV station.
De la Rosa shared his fears for his community in a widely circulated social media post last week. In it, he asked Rochester to continue to support its Latino-owned businesses, and the community has shown its support.
The message resonated with Julie Warner, who stopped by De la Rosa’s shop for the first time to buy some tamales and tortillas.
"It distresses me to know that there are families in this community who are fearful to come out into the community, to run their errands, go to school, go to church,” she said.
She said she felt powerless after Macklin Good was shot.
"I might not be able to do anything in Minneapolis right now, but I know in my local community, I can help serve another family."
Delivering food
De la Rosa said that community donations have stepped up, too. And with that assistance, he’d been delivering food for free to Latino families who are too afraid to leave their homes. One day, he served 25 families. Another day it was close to 40 families.
"They are very afraid. So, I knock on the door, and they take their time trying to see who it is, and they ask, ‘Who is [it],’ and, you know, they are afraid,” he said. Some don’t even open their door.
De la Rosa moved to Rochester from Guatemala in 2016 and is a U.S. citizen, but he understands that fear. He carries his documentation everywhere he goes.
"We have so many cases that [ICE] doesn’t ask for any proof. And some people tell them, ‘Hey, I'm a U.S. citizen,’ and they don't believe so.”
