In southwestern Brooklyn, alongside the Higher Bay, Sundown Park is house to a dense immigrant group. On fifth Avenue, the place eating places serve all kinds of Latin American cuisines, residents fill the streets and the neighborhood’s leafy namesake park perched above.
However many Latino restaurant homeowners say ICE sightings within the space, and ongoing arrests in Manhattan immigration courts, have injected concern into Sundown Park. Gross sales are down, they are saying, with many undocumented residents avoiding consuming out or procuring, frightened that being inside a restaurant or retailer makes them extra weak.
It’s simply one of many methods President Trump’s sweeping crackdown on immigrants has modified the day by day rhythm of life in New York Metropolis.
A 62-year-old girl stated earnings at her Guatemalan restaurant and grocery retailer close to the hilltop park have gone down 30% within the final three weeks. Prior to now three weeks, her gross sales have plummeted from roughly $2,400 a day, to $1,700 to $1,800 a day.
Latin American companies on fifth Avenue in Sundown Park. (Emma Seiwell/New York Every day Information)
Like lots of the individuals who spoke for this story, she requested her title not be used for concern of what would possibly occur.
In February, the proprietor stated she noticed ICE brokers stake out a close-by nook on fifth Avenue, a essential thoroughfare within the neighborhood, for practically two weeks, apparently trying to find particular folks to arrest.
Extra not too long ago, rumors of ICE noticed within the northeastern nook of the neighborhood, at forty third St. and Fort Hamilton Parkway, bordering Borough Park, swirled in group chats amongst migrant residents, and on social media Thursday.
The girl stated it’s sightings like these which have spooked her common prospects, principally from Guatemala, from coming into her store.
“In February there was ICE around here. On the corner. They were in uniform. They were hanging out around there. People are scared a lot,” she stated. “Most of my customers, they don’t have papers. A lot of people stay in the house, more people do deliveries.”
‘Now the U.S. isn’t protected’
Except for native ICE sightings, the blitz of ICE arrests in metropolis immigration courts have left residents uneasy, with experiences of individuals being seized after showing for routine check-ins coming virtually every single day.
Panoramic views of town from the neighborhood’s namesake park. (Emm Seiwell/New York Every day Information)
The crackdown got here after White Home Deputy Chief of Workers Stephen Miller stated not too long ago that the administration was setting a purpose of three,000 arrests by ICE every day and that the quantity might go greater.
The Guatemalan restaurant proprietor stated she’s frightened about an worker of hers attending a routine courtroom listening to for his or her asylum case in July.
“I told him he needs to get a lawyer. There is a lot of risk to go there. And there is a risk not going there. It’s the same,” she stated.
The Trump administration’s opaque, shortly shifting ways have left the group paranoid, questioning what might occur subsequent.
Border patrol brokers wait outdoors an immigration courtroom on the Jacob Ok. Javits Federal Constructing in New York, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Picture/Yuki Iwamura)
The memo acknowledged brokers had been to not make arrests of “noncriminal collaterals,” referring to those that are undocumented however haven’t any prison document.
The girl stated practically all of her workers are younger, single undocumented migrants, hailing from the identical metropolis in Guatemala — Sololá.
“The boy who makes the deliveries, he’s scared. He tells me I’m not safe,” she stated.
A Guatemalan migrant herself, the proprietor stated she grew up impoverished, and lived close to the nation’s largest landfill, in ‘Zona 3’ of Guatemala Metropolis. After her household’s house collapsed throughout an earthquake within the late ’70s, her dad and mom and siblings immigrated to Los Angeles. She quickly adopted, crossing the border at age 20, 4 months pregnant along with her daughter and along with her 2-year-old son in tow, in search of a greater life.
No prospects, no suggestions
A block down the road from the Guatemalan restaurant, a 54-year-old migrant sat behind the counter of the Mexican deli and restaurant he has run for the previous 25 years.
“People are scared. They’re not going shopping. It’s bad. It’s bad. The business is going down, down down,” the person stated Thursday. “Everything is very slow. Very slow. Yesterday maybe 10 people come inside.”
Prior to now month, he stated his gross sales have dipped from roughly $1,000 a day to $500 to $600 a day. If issues proceed the way in which they’re, he doesn’t understand how he’ll make his $900 lease for the bed room he lives in, in a shared residence.
“The Americans come, but the Mexicans, I haven’t seen them,” the lady stated.
She stated extra prospects are getting their meals delivered, leaving her and her colleagues with much less tip cash.
Demonstrators maintain indicators and chant throughout a protest towards deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Picture/Yuki Iwamura)
At a Venezuelan restaurant just a few blocks away from the taco joint, a waitress shared the identical observations. She guessed the slowdown in enterprise was a results of tariffs, inflation and of ICE arrests spreading concern locally.
A baker at a Mexican bakery on fifth Ave., who solely gave his title as Albaro, additionally stated he’s seen fewer prospects coming in.
“I’ve seen the difference between three weeks ago and now. In general [there’s less customers],” the 34-year-old man stated. “I’m a citizen and it also affects me because of my job. I’m iffy if I’m gonna stay here because if sales go down more, I’ll probably have less hours.”
Joel Almanzar, a Bay Ridge resident who traveled as much as Sundown Park for lunch at a well-liked Latin American restaurant on Thursday afternoon, stated the eatery was usually crowded at the moment of day. At 12:15 p.m. solely three tables within the giant eating space had been occupied.
“This time [of day] it used to be always packed. Now with what’s going on, you see the decrease a lot. At this time [of day], you couldn’t even go in here. You had to call and order the food. Now you can just walk in,” Almazar, 44 stated.
Dominican born, and now a U.S. citizen, Almanzar criticized the flurry of ICE arrests throughout town.
“I’ll say one thing. They should take out the bad people. The people that are working, doing stuff, they don’t got no criminal record, they should leave them alone,” he stated.
“The people that are working, doing the right thing, trying to get a better future. That’s why we come over here. This is the land of the free.”
