Examining the impact of immigration enforcement on Latino businesses

On August 12, LPPI, in partnership with Inclusive Action for the City, hosted a webinar highlighting findings from the report “The Cost of Fear: The Impacts of Immigration Enforcement on Small Businesses and Latino Entrepreneurs in LA County.” Nearly 350 people joined the discussion, which examined the economic impact of immigration enforcement and included first-person accounts from small-business owners in Los Angeles.

“The brutal immigration enforcement actions that started last June created fear and instability across Los Angeles, California, and the country,” LPPI Deputy Director Lila Burgos said as she opened the webinar.

LPPI Director and co-author of the report, Amada Armenta, presented the findings. Researchers found that business visits declined in eight of the nine enforcement areas studied. In the two weeks following enforcement activity, nearly 1,000 businesses experienced 46,000 fewer customer visits and an estimated $3.16 million in revenue losses.

Armenta also discussed the longer-term effects on business owners, including lost revenue, debt, reduced staffing, and health consequences. A year after the enforcement activity, most business owners surveyed continued to report financial difficulties.

Rudy Espinoza, president and CEO of Inclusive Action for the City, followed the research presentation with remarks about what his organization has seen through its work with entrepreneurs across Los Angeles.

“These raids were an attack on all of us, and they attacked our entire economy,” Espinoza said.

Gonzalo and Aurora, two small-business owners affected by immigration enforcement, then shared their experiences, describing how fear and declining customer traffic undermined their ability to work and support their families.

The webinar was held primarily in English and featured entrepreneurs sharing their experiences in Spanish. Live interpretation ran in both directions, making the event fully accessible to both English and Spanish speakers.

The program concluded with a panel discussion featuring Espinoza; Rocio Flores, founder of Brillantes Emprendedoras Latinas de Los Angeles (B.E.L.L.A.); and Vanessa Gutierrez, owner of Mas Amor and co-founder of the El Sereno Night Market.

Flores discussed the challenges Latina entrepreneurs have faced and the need for continued access to capital, business support, and community resources. Gutierrez described the effects of immigration enforcement on vendors at the El Sereno Night Market, and the steps organizers and community members took to support them.

“Remember how powerful your dollar is, especially in the Latino community,” Gutierrez said. Panelists encouraged attendees to shop locally, support street vendors and immigrant-owned businesses, and continue connecting business owners with resources.

“These things don’t last forever, and we will win,” Armenta said.

Read the English-language report here and watch the webinar on our YouTube channel. El reporte en español se puede encontrar aquí y el webinar se puede ver en nuestro canal de YouTube.