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ICE Raids Devastate LA Immigrant Businesses

Nonprofits are disbursing tens of thousands of dollars in aid after immigrant vendors report business drops of up to 75 percent.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents guard outside Delaney Hall, a migrant detention facility, while anti-ICE activists demonstrate on June 12, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. Anti-ICE protests have been spreading to cities across America since Ice deportation quotas have increased.
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Overview

  • ICE has ramped up workplace raids in Los Angeles since early June, targeting high-immigrant areas like Koreatown and the Fashion District.
  • Vendors say daily revenues have fallen from $2,000 to $300 and some restaurant owners report weekly earnings losses of about $7,000.
  • Immigrant workers with valid work permits report anxiety over arbitrary detentions as ICE sweeps sometimes proceed without document checks.
  • Organizations such as K-Town For All and the Local Hearts Foundation have raised over $60,000 to provide rent, utility and food support to at least 36 families.
  • Fear of raids has kept many immigrants home, shrinking customer bases by up to 75 percent and threatening the survival of street stalls and small businesses.