Undocumented street vendors decide to stay at home amid ICE operations
"I don't go out, " street vendor Lidia said in Spanish. "I am scared."
Lidia and her husband, who are both undocumented, are just two of the thousands of vendors staying home after hearing about the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, according to immigrant rights advocate Sergio Jimenez.
"ICE has been showing up in Pico Rivera, Home Depots, street vending communities in South Central, Boyle Heights, downtown L.A.," Jimenez said. "You just don't know when you're going to get hit by ICE."
Her 10-year-old son Gerardo, who is a citizen, said he and his sister don't go outside anymore.
"It just feels like you're trapped in your home because if you go outside, you're risking getting taken away by ICE," Geraldo said.
Instead of being a kid, Geraldo is left worrying if he'll wake up with his parents by his side.
"They normally go to sell on the street, but now they don't. They just stay here," he said. "We don't really go out much — just if it's important or necessary."
Fearing that ICE may come to their home, Lidia and her husband posted a sign on their window saying, "This house does not open for ICE." On the back of the sign is a list of the family's rights, which they said gives them some peace of mind.
"We are not criminals," Lidia said.
The decision to stay at home and give up their only source of income means the family does not have money for rent or food. To help the family, local nonprofits, including Community Power Collective, launched a fundraiser.
"This is the third initiative where we fundraise funds for street vendors," Jimenez said.
Jimenez said the donations will go towards the family's living expenses.
"Everything they need, but we understand that is not going to be enough," Jimenez said.
While Jimenez can help Lidia's family, he says she is one of thousands of vendors in the same situation.
L.A. organizers said the work is far from done but every donation helps keep a family together.
"There's fear all over the place," Jimenez said.
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