On a quiet Wednesday afternoon, 9th Street in South Philadelphia is emptier than Pedro Ríos Sandoval has ever seen it. His restaurant, Mole Poblano, doesn’t have a single customer, an unusual sight after more than 10 years in business. In all his time running the Mexican restaurant, he says he has never experienced such a severe economic downturn.
Now, he adds, nearly all the Latino-owned small businesses on 9th Street are “just surviving” in the wake of the immigration raids that have hit the city. On top of this financial strain is his fear of deportation.
“I am very afraid to go out because at any moment I could be detained and never return,” said the Mexican business owner. “Just by looking at our faces, they can tell we are Latinos, Mexicans, Hondurans, Guatemalans. That’s enough for them to detain us, drag us away, and send us back to our country.”…