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Fewer diners, tense restaurant workers amid immigration crackdown
Los Angeles Times ^ | Feb. 11, 2025 10:53 AM PT | Cindy Carcamo

Posted on 02/11/2025 4:31:35 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum

The chilly first two months of the year are usually a peak business period for Teddy’s Red Tacos, where diners indulge in the restaurant’s specialty, birria — spicy, warm and deeply tender meat slowly braised in its own fat and served with a pool of flavorful broth.

But this year, it’s different.

The day after President Trump announced a series of immigration actions to fulfill a campaign promise of mass deportations, Teddy Vazquez, owner of Teddy’s Red Tacos, noticed a steep drop in sales at all of his 10 locations in Los Angeles and Orange County.

Two weeks later, sales had dropped by half of what he’d normally make in January.

“People are afraid to go out. There’s no movement. There are no people coming in to eat,” Vazquez said. “People don’t want to go out because they don’t know what is going to happen with this administration.”

Vazquez said most of his taco shops — from Echo Park to Anaheim — are in neighborhoods with a large proportion of immigrant inhabitants.

“A lot of people who support Teddy’s are immigrants,” he said. “Customers are thinking: ‘What if ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] shows up while I’m eating at Teddy’s?’”

Vazquez isn’t alone.

He’s one of several people in the food-service industry — from restaurateurs to back-of-the-house workers — who are bracing for the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Of an estimated 8.3 million workers without legal status who are employed the U.S., approximately...

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; Government; Political Humor/Cartoons; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cindycarcamo; crackdown; homan; illegalaliens; illegals; immigration; restaurant; workers
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1 posted on 02/11/2025 4:31:35 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Democrats. Always get so pissed when Republicans take away their cheap labor.


2 posted on 02/11/2025 4:34:24 PM PST by Frank Drebin (And don't ever let me catch you guys in America!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Oh no, Taco Bell beware.


3 posted on 02/11/2025 4:35:07 PM PST by Fledermaus (GOP RINOs - Get on Board or Get Out!)
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To: Frank Drebin

Cheap labor? Slaves.


4 posted on 02/11/2025 4:35:56 PM PST by Fledermaus (GOP RINOs - Get on Board or Get Out!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

5 posted on 02/11/2025 4:36:23 PM PST by CardCarryingMember.VastRightWC (Unity? Of course! I pledge to respect your President as much as you respected mine the past 4 years.)
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To: Frank Drebin

I haven’t seen the rat party this angry ever since we took their slaves away.


6 posted on 02/11/2025 4:37:02 PM PST by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: Fledermaus

Exactly! Slavery is supposed to be illegal in this country, it’s too bad the rats didn’t get the memo!


7 posted on 02/11/2025 4:37:41 PM PST by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Cindy Carcamo is a staff writer in Food for the Los Angeles Times. She most recently covered immigration issues as a Metro reporter and, before that, served as Arizona bureau chief and national correspondent in the Southwest.


The author is a food reporter yet covering immigration.

notice from national correspondent to food reporter.


8 posted on 02/11/2025 4:38:56 PM PST by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued, but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere)
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To: All

Who does Trump think he is enforcing the laws of the land?


9 posted on 02/11/2025 4:39:14 PM PST by BipolarBob (My pet termites name is Clint. Clint Eatswood.)
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To: CardCarryingMember.VastRightWC

Yep.


10 posted on 02/11/2025 4:40:35 PM PST by TheDon (Remember the J6 political prisoners! Remember Ashli Babbitt!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I wonder who’s paying for the tacos?


11 posted on 02/11/2025 4:40:51 PM PST by bertmerc1 (Conservative Buddhist)
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To: BipolarBob

“Who does Trump think he is enforcing the laws of the land?”

Yeah! How dare he thwart the Cloward-Pivening of America at the hands of America’s enemy within... the Democrats! The noive!


12 posted on 02/11/2025 4:41:12 PM PST by Danie_2023
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To: Frank Drebin

The story doesn’t mention employees, it’s talking about a lack of customers.


13 posted on 02/11/2025 4:41:33 PM PST by chuck allen
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

This will reveal which sleazy, corrupt business owners have been stiffing American workers and hiring illegals, which should mean the end of their dishonest business as people avoid them.


14 posted on 02/11/2025 4:41:49 PM PST by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“””The chilly first two months of the year are usually a peak business period for Teddy’s Red Tacos, where diners indulge in the restaurant’s specialty, birria — spicy, warm and deeply tender meat slowly braised in its own fat and served with a pool of flavorful broth.”””


My heart bleeds for these limp-wristed Los Angelinos who may not be able to find a birria prepared by a criminal who illegally crossed our border.


15 posted on 02/11/2025 4:42:03 PM PST by Presbyterian Reporter
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Folks,

Eventually after getting rid of all the criminals Trump will lead us into a lawful national immigration policy. He will force congress to address the issue in a way that he will approve.

But this will have to get to a big problem to force them to the table.


16 posted on 02/11/2025 4:43:33 PM PST by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued, but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Well that fact should make them easier to find.


17 posted on 02/11/2025 4:45:43 PM PST by RetiredTexasVet (Trump has arrived and it is awesome to have a real President.)
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To: Frank Drebin
"Who will pick the cotton if you take away our slaves illegal aliens?"
18 posted on 02/11/2025 4:45:44 PM PST by Bubba_Leroy (Our long national nightmare is over!)
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To: No name given

So tell us Patrick Soon-Shiong, how many illegals work for you?


19 posted on 02/11/2025 4:45:46 PM PST by Fungi
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The potential that some taco bus driver vendor’s business drops off is not my concern. My concern is having one of their worker, suppliers, consumers, etc. following some young woman and killing her. It doesn’t even have to be that drastic. Filled schools, higher taxes, higher petit crimes, etc.

Eventually when it is safe at night in these areas, business will come back - and we don’t need illegals to do it.


20 posted on 02/11/2025 4:47:26 PM PST by Gaffer (r)
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