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As the Trump administration gathers its changes to the immigration system, fear is spreading across the food-service industry as it fires itself up with a promised crackdown on undocumented workers.
Immigrant workers, both authorized and unauthorized, are important to domestic and restaurant workers in the United States. In 2024 data, the National Restaurant Association reported that 21 percent of restaurant workers in the United States are immigrants. This figure does not include unauthorized workers, however; The Center for Migration Studies has estimated that they account for an additional million workers.
Under new management, landlords and workers are preparing for the worst.
The enforcement of immigration and customs at the Ocean Seafood Depot in Newark on Thursday eased the anxiety (although it is not known whether the action, which resulted in three management plans). And many restaurant owners around the country did not want to be named, saying they were worried their businesses and employees would be targeted. Many refused to comment at all.
Chicago and the restaurant industry have been expecting action from Ice since the move to immigration was taken after the event following the media last week, with Chicago as the first place.
Even well-known chefs and well-known restaurateurs who have been vocal about political issues in the past, who have not hesitated, have been reluctant to speak publicly about the threat of immigration arrests, so as not to put the ” target” of the company and its employees The owner told the New York Times.
The photo presented at the time shows a hand sign in the kitchen of a famous Chicago restaurant that reads: “Don’t let there be any ice in the house! And no disturbance!” . .
A veteran Chicago chef and restaurateur, who asked to fear that the restaurant will be visited by ice, he said, since Monday he advised the host what to do if the visit of Ice .
Civil servants who speak freely about their fear of snow are those they know are not at risk of deportation. “If you’re one of those people who has a legal problem with your immigration status,” he said, “you’re going to be quiet where you work.”
Andres Reyes said that the threat of immigration crackdown was a topic of discussion between employees and customers at two locations in the Chicogo restaurant, Birrierias Ocotlan. Ramon’s father, Ramon, opened the original restaurant in 1973 in South Chicago, one of the neighborhoods affected by Mexican immigrants in the city.
“We have people who are in their 40s who are still working to get their papers — and they’re not criminals,” he said, referring to community members rather than community workers. not the community worker not the community worker not the community worker not the community worker not the community worker but not the community worker not community worker not community worker not community worker not community worker not community worker community rather than community staff rather than staff. “They’re working and they’re contributing to society. It’s unfortunate that they can be caught in the middle.”
According to the Immigration Law Institute, 53 percent of unauthorized immigrants in Illinois have lived in the United States for more than 15 years, and 37 percent have at least one child who is a native-born citizen. American at least.
Mr. Reyes was born in the business and slower – legal commercial street in the neighborhood in part for fear of sweat. “Many undocumented immigrants don’t spend money, because they fear deportation or violation,” he said.
Another prominent Chicago American, who requested anonymity, said the reference did worse. The Chef’s restaurant has been on high alert three times recently, when staff received word that a nearby restaurant had been targeted by an immigration agent – but the rumor is that they don’t know it’s wrong. rumours.
In Los Angeles, which appealed to the fear of immigration enforcement for a few years, the food ran among the food professionals.
California is the state with the highest number of undocumented immigrants – 1.8 million, according to the Research Center. The Immigration Bureau estimates that 950,000 people live in Los Angeles County. (More than half of people have lived in the United States for more than 15 years, and 17 percent are homeowners.)
A Los Angeles chef and restaurant owner, an American citizen who grew up in Mexico, prepared Friday for a meeting to address the fear of snow tours and their work, which includes instructions on where to leave safely. safely in the establishment. Employees can legally visit public areas of a company, such as the dining room, but need a warrant or permission from the employee to enter private areas.
“The tension is high, and this is something to be prepared for, like an emergency,” said Chef, who spoke about the instability. “We should have a plan in place.”
A Chef in San Francisco, who asked to remain anonymous, said he hoped to prepare to reduce the energy among the restaurant staff.
The Chef, an undocumented immigrant, is questioned by his staff. “When you’re scared, you’re scared of people in uniform,” he said. “You see the police and wonder if they’re going to get in there – you don’t know what power they have.”
He handed over to his staff and all the cards made by an immigration attorney with basic information about his rights. The Chef plans to attend a seminar next week with local restaurants and attorneys to gather more information and advice.
He also talked to his family about what to do if he was detained – who to call first and where to go. “All we can do now is prepare, not feel afraid, which is easier said than done.”
In Washington, DC, Erik Bruner-Yang, the Chef and owner of Maketto, is waiting for guidance from the Association of Metropolitan Washington.
“I think now that everyone is waiting to see what actually happens with immigration,” he said. “Ramw is very good about providing resources, and they were during the first Trump administration. In fact, the Obama and Biden administrations were not great, either, in terms of their dismissal.”
Téa Ivanovic, the founder and manager of Immigrant Food, who has a position from the White House, said the consequences of mass deportations can extend far beyond the spread of special workers.
“I think as a business owner, especially in the food industry, which is totally dependent on immigrant labor and is a trillion-dollar industry,” he said. “I think the job attack is really about talking.”
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