Businesses in Arvin are struggling to survive after ICE raids drove customers away from storefronts, forcing owners to adapt with delivery services and special deals just to stay open.
Salvador Gomez, owner of La Raza Market in Arvin, said the impact was immediate. After last year’s raids, foot traffic at his grocery stores dropped sharply. He responded by purchasing a van to bring groceries directly to customers too afraid to leave their homes.
“I had to buy vans to make deliveries because undocumented people don’t come,” Gomez said…