NEW YORK (PIX11) — The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is bringing mixed feelings to New Yorkers. Bodega owners, customers and even advocates of these establishments are weighing in on the impact of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
For some, less money is coming in, and employees are not showing up to work. But for others, Trump’s immigration crackdown means bringing law and order into a city that desperately needs it.
In the heart of Washington Heights, the talk among employees and customers inside a bodega Thursday afternoon was President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“I know there are a lot of good people too. I feel bad for them, but it has to be done, got to clean up. I have two daughters, and I want them to be safe when they grow,” said Johan Mencias, a Washington Heights resident.
Those who work in this line of business claim they are losing customers, but for Johan Mencias, ICE raids are already making a positive impact.
“There’s a lot of criminals. Now streets feel safe, you can see, you can walk, you don’t see a lot of bikes, all these people that come here and don’t know the rules,” he added.
“What are you hearing from bodegas owners and workers?” NewsNation affiliate PIX11 asked Francisco Marte, president of the New York Bodegas Association.
“They be afraid, they be calling me and asking, Frank are they going to come to the store?” Marte said.
Suslyn Pichardo, who manages a Bronx bodega, says fewer undocumented workers are showing up for their shifts and points to significantly less foot traffic. She calls it “the 2025 pandemic.” But this time, it’s an immigration pandemic, she said.
“We are victims of those criminals. We are victims of the robberies, the looting, the assaults. And a lot of these things are occurring with the migrant population that just entered New York,” said Fernando Mateo, spokesman for United Bodegas of America. He added that Trump is making bodegas safer by doing what the criminal justice system has failed to do.
“What do you think about collateral arrests and potentially collateral deportation?” PIX11 asked Mateo.
“Right now, that’s the fear that certain groups want to instill in them. Now, if you have committed a crime, other than entering the country illegally, I recommend that you look for another place to work. Because if they come looking for you, because you are a criminal, they are going to find you, and they are going to deport you,” he answered.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the ICE operations’ initial focus is on those with criminal records but that the overall goal is to curb illegal immigration.
“The law applies to everybody: it applies to American citizens, it applies to people who are coming to this country illegally. You will be held accountable for breaking our laws,” Noem said.
“I’ve been here 20 years,” Mencias said. “I came here with my green card, then citizenship, I did it the right way, like everybody has to do it the right way.”