Following President Trump's second inauguration, fears surrounding large-scale ICE arrests have negatively impacted immigrant-heavy neighborhoods, leading to decreased sales for local businesses. McDonald Romain, owner of Labay Market in Brooklyn, reported a 25% drop in foot traffic, as many customers face anxiety about potential deportation actions. Economists warn that small businesses, which operate on thinner margins compared to larger corporations, could suffer long-term financial harm from these declining revenues. The atmosphere of fear has been exacerbated by Trump's immigration policies and political rhetoric, creating dire challenges for vulnerable entrepreneurs.
Since Trump took office, rumors and worries about large-scale ICE arrests have plagued neighborhoods with large immigrant populations from New York City and Chicago to Los Angeles.
Romain estimates that 25% of his customers have stopped walking through his doors since the start of the year due to fears of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
They don't have the margins that the big companies have. If they lose some of their revenues in a few months, they may be out of business.
On Trump's first day back in the White House, he issued a flurry of executive orders pegged to immigration and, on the campaign trail, promised to carry out the 'largest deportation program' in American history.
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