Joey Berumen paced up and down Broadway Avenue outside Las Palmas grocery store Wednesday around lunch time under a blistering late-summer sun. He held a walkie-talkie while he glanced around the road. He was looking for signs of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Workers at the independent grocery store and adjoining taco stand were on edge Wednesday after agents they believe to be with ICE appeared outside the store twice in 24 hours. Employees say business is down, with community members deterred from shopping by the federal agents.
Workers with Casa San José were on the block earlier, taping up Spanish language posters with information on legal rights and other resources. Four or five legal observers from Frontline Dignity, which responds to support immigrants amid news of ICE activity, milled around the Las Palmas taco stand throughout the late morning.
Immigration enforcement appears to have increased in Beechview, a hub of Pittsburgh’s Latino population. An agent confronted Berumen Tuesday, and agents returned Wednesday morning, he said…