Some of the Latino community has gone into lockdown mode, and businesses are worried about how to sustain their livelihoods if the raids continue

Inside Luis’s Taqueria, in Woodburn, Oregon, piñatas streaming from the ceiling have a festive feel. But the owner, Jesus Gonzalez, said the mood has been more somber lately.



In 2008, the taqueria was packed when Barack Obama stopped by. A flood of people rushed there to see if they could shake his hand or catch a glimpse. Those who couldn’t fit inside the restaurant peered through the windows.

But these days, the nation’s politics are having a very different effect in this small rural community. Recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) raids – including one detaining 11 people not far from the taqueria – have shaken the small farming community.

People are wary about leaving their homes or spending money. The streets of the small town, dubbed by some as “Little Mexico”, appear quieter. Business is slower. And those who rely on the immigration community for labor, many of whom are already facing a shortage, are concerned about the economic implications of the crackdown.



“People are paranoid walking around the streets,” Gonzalez said, adding that he’s noticed a dive in business this month for his taqueria, one of the most popular Mexican restaurants in town. “At least half or more of our customers are Latinos, 100% of our workers are Latinos. That sets us back.”



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Luis’s Taqueria in Woodburn, Oregon. Photograph: Lauren Dake

Nearly 59% of Woodburn’s population of about 25,000 is Hispanic or Latino. Many of the immigrants who are in the country illegally have lived here for decades, according to immigration activists. Others who are here legally still probably know someone – a parent, aunt or cousin – who doesn’t have the proper documentation.

Ramon Ramirez, president of the farm worker union PCUN, which represents more than 6,500 farm workers in the region, said some of the Latino community has gone into lockdown mode.

“People kiss their children before they go to school because they might not see them again. Trump said he would go after criminals. He’s going after hardworking people in a [multi-] billion dollar [farming] industry in our state,” Ramirez said. “There’s a fabric in the community and it’s being unwoven.”

People kiss their children before they go to school because they might not see them again Ramon Ramirez

Carolina Reyes said the recent raids had intensified her family’s anxiety and fear. They have created an emergency plan and talked about worst-case scenarios.

Her parents fled a civil war in El Salvador years ago and landed in Woodburn, where her father did nursery work, supporting his family of seven. Reyes said her father has no criminal history and her parents own their home. They pay their taxes, she said.

“These are people providing for their families, who want the best for their children. That’s what this is all for,” Reyes said. “It feels like there is no way to be safe.”

Gonzalez’s employees have peppered him with questions: if Ice officers come to the restaurant, what should they do? Will he protect them? One of his employees, an older woman, asked Gonzalez to walk her to her car after her shift ended.

A variety of businesses in the region are worried about how to sustain their livelihoods if the raids continue. Last month, Ice officials detained a nursery worker on his way to work about an hour up the road from Woodburn. The owner of the nursery said he has yet to find someone else willing to do the job.

Jeff Stone, the executive director of Oregon Associations of Nurseries, said: “There is a labor shortage already and a pretty significant one. We have members who have finally bounced back after the economic tumult … sales are back, but they are having difficulty on the production side because of the lack of labor.”

The nursery industry – including the people who plant the rhododendrons, harvest the hops and cut the Christmas trees – is the state’s second largest agricultural sector, behind cattle, with sales topping $890m in 2015, Stone said.

Many of the nursery owners, whom Stone represents, backed Donald Trump for president, he said. They are hoping for comprehensive immigration reform but don’t believe the enforcement-only approach will work.

“There aren’t people knocking on the door to [help harvest] Christmas trees in 42-degree weather,” Stone said.

A 2016 report from the New American Economy, a not-for-profit research and advocacy group, said undocumented immigrants in the state earned about $1.6bn in 2014, according to the report. They contributed $60.9m to state and local taxes and $104.4m to federal taxes.

Jim Ludwick, with Oregonians for Immigration Reform, said some nursery owners want the continual flow of cheap labor and aren’t worried about the negative impact it’s having on society.

“Do you think people can pick and choose the laws they follow? Whether it’s immigration law or whatever it is, unless there are consequences people aren’t going to follow the law,” Ludwick said.

Of the 11 people who were originally detained at the end of February in Woodburn, all have been released from Ice custody. Four people, however, remain in removal proceedings and will need to appear before a judge who will determine whether they can stay in the US, according to Lori Haley, an Ice spokeswoman.

“Our operations are targeted and lead-driven, prioritizing individuals who pose a risk to our communities,” Haley wrote in an email. She declined to say whether those detained had criminal records.

Mat dos Santos, the legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, recently met with those who were arrested early in the morning, at about 5am, as they headed to the forest to pick filler flowers for bouquets.

There still appears to be a lack of clarity around the raid, Dos Santos said, adding that he believes the constitutional rights of those arrested were violated. Anyone in the country, despite their status, has the right to legal counsel and the right to be free from search and seizure, Dos Santos said. He believes Ice was looking for two specific people who may have had an administrative or criminal warrant for their arrest.

“If you were looking for two people, why did you detain 11 people?” Dos Santos said. “This is part of a larger shift. It used to be you were only subject to deportation if you fell under a priority [such as having committed a crime], but now if you just happen to be nearby when one of these enforcement actions happen, you could also be subject to detention and deportation.”

The majority of those arrested on 24 February were from Guatemala. Many landed in the US after fleeing a violent civil war in their country and some only speak an indigenous language, according to immigrant-right activists. The amount of time they have lived in the area ranged, but some had spent more than a decade living in Woodburn. The civil liberties lawyer said he had advised the group to decline speaking to the media for now, pointing to other immigrants who have spoken up only to find Ice agents at their door shortly after.

“I can tell you generally they are people who fled their country because of fear of persecution and death and likely have strong asylum claims in the US and now they are confused and fearful. They thought they were doing the right thing, going to their job, staying out of the way of law enforcement and suddenly their world gets turned upside down,” he said.