Miguel Lopez’s routine is very different than it was a month ago, before the ongoing federal immigration crackdown created the biggest disruption to Twin Cities restaurants since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Always an early riser, he now adds another two hours to his mornings to be able to do the day’s shopping for his St. Paul restaurant Homi. He then delivers supplies to former employees who are no longer willing to risk leaving home, and then helps his depleted team with ingredient prep in the kitchen before opening to customers.
Lopez spends the day in the kitchen, where he takes phone orders and makes food shoulder-to-shoulder with his three remaining employees, down from seven before U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement began its “Operation Metro Surge” in early December. The employees are all Latin Americans who have taken to wearing their immigration paperwork around their necks on lanyards…