Salem businesses, event organizers pivot in response to ICE fears

Diego Sagastume hasn’t been seeing his regular customers as frequently.

Some used to visit the Salem grocery store he co-owns, El Ranchero Market, Restaurant & Catering, daily. Now, they might come once a week.

There are fewer people out and about around the store on Northeast Lancaster Drive too, he said.

An uptick in federal immigration arrests up and down the Willamette Valley last week, including multiple detentions of people in Salem, has more Latinos staying home, local business owners and event organizers said.

That’s prompting some businesses to adapt. El Ranchero is newly offering free home delivery of groceries. El Torito, a supermarket on Lancaster Drive, also began offering home delivery for orders over $25 on Oct. 16, according to a Facebook post.

“We are letting people know that if they are in fear,” the service is available, Sagastume said of the store’s new delivery option. So far, he’s personally handling every delivery.

Immigration detentions have long been part of life in Salem, Latino nonprofit and business leaders said. But in recent weeks, people have witnessed indiscriminate raids in other cities, where federal immigration agents have detained children and U.S. citizens.

“We’ve seen citizens (have) been picked up, people who are suspected of being undocumented without any proof and so that’s created a lot of fear among people,” said Levi Herrera-Lopez, executive director of social services nonprofit Mano a Mano, of the national climate.

Locally, immigration agents are still typically looking for a specific person when they make an arrest, according to leaders of groups monitoring immigration activity, rather than making mass arrests at public locations like stores or schools.

But other people who happen to be at the same location are increasingly being arrested — and agents are more often targeting people who are undocumented regardless of whether they have any criminal background.

News of arrests and raids also spreads quickly on social media, even when unverified, contributing to fear.

Businesses serving largely Latino and immigrant customers are adapting as a result.

“Every Hispanic person in our community knows someone who’s undocumented,” said Jonathan Castro Monroy, a Salem financial planner who sits on the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce board. “Many times that undocumented person is a friend or a family member.”

Castro Monroy’s parents brought him to the U.S. from Mexico illegally as a child. He’s now here legally and said he supports efforts to deport people who have committed crimes. But economic migrants are getting caught in the crossfire with few options, he said.

Many Americans don’t realize that there is no legal way for people like his family, who are low income and want to work hard, to come to the U.S., he said.

“We don’t want to take anything from anyone, we want to contribute,” he said.

He said businesses offering delivery services are responding to local needs.

“They love their customers. It’s not even a political matter, it’s more about a human matter –  people are trying to live, work here, take care of their family. In their world, the least they can do is help them continue to do that,” he said.

Lily Perez, a Salem resident, is one of the owners of the El Torito supermarket chain, which has nine locations across Oregon.

She said their recent decision to offer deliveries was based on fears about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids from customers.

“We are still holding up, we are still busy, but it does affect us. I do feel it does have an effect,” Perez said, speaking in a mix of English and Spanish. “That’s why we did the $25 limit in the Salem area. Just call and we deliver, you don’t have to buy a bunch of groceries to get it delivered.”

Perez said the business would get calls from customers concerned about ICE rumors so El Torito first tried providing Instacart service, but it never took off. That’s when the store decided to offer call-in delivery service. So far, about five or six customers have used the service, she said Wednesday.

Perez said she has two employees who drive the deliveries and will have more drivers if the service grows in popularity.

“If it works out, for the people, then I am happy and we are here to serve our community,” Perez said. “Everyone here in Salem has always supported us, and we just want to support them back and be here for everyone.”

Events canceled

Organizers have also canceled some local events catering to Latinos in the Salem area.

Mano a Mano, a social services nonprofit serving mostly Latino families, canceled a planned screening of the Disney film “Coco” for children and their families on Oct. 17.

The Enlace Cross-Cultural Community Development Project canceled a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month slated for Saturday at the East Salem Community Center, which would include dance and music performances and a chance for community members to connect.

Organizer Amador Aguilar said the event typically draws a few hundred people, some of whom travel from the Portland area and were especially concerned about being detained while traveling. He said some raised questions about whether the event would go ahead. He opted to cancel after seeing the flea market on Northeast Portland Road where Enlace holds weekend events was largely empty last week.

Still, Aguilar said the group plans to remain active by hosting or attending smaller events and performances, including for Día de los Muertos next week.

“Let’s show them that we still have hope, we still have that passion to continue to work, to do the work that we are doing,” he said.

Planned community events for Día de los Muertos are continuing next week, including a first-time celebration at Don Froylan, a Salem cheesemaker and restaurant.

Expo Negocio, an annual Latino business showcase organized by Salem’s Latino Business Alliance, will also go on as scheduled Nov. 13, said Jose Gonzalez, a board member and former Salem city councilor.

Gonzalez said he’s seeing less engagement from Latino and Hispanic Salem residents, but he said it’s hard to tell how much can be attributed to immigration fears versus the overall economic downturn.

Some organizations run by and serving Latinos are laying low over understandable fears, he said.

“We’re one of those organizations that are standing stronger and firmer,” he said.

Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected]. Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected].

A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE.