From KUT News:
Rosa was debating whether to go to work Saturday morning.
“I don’t understand why they don’t want us here,” she said in Spanish. Rosa has lived in Austin for 35 years. Her three kids were born and raised in the city. (KUT is not using her real name because she is undocumented.)
When word spread about immigration authorities detaining people in her neighborhood, Rosa said she was afraid they might show up at the South Austin food pavilion where she works.
She ultimately decided to go in because she couldn’t afford a day off.
“We have to keep moving forward, being careful and taking precautions,” Rosa said. “God will lead the way and I’ll follow.”
On weekends, the food pavilion off Highway 183 is usually packed. The outdoor space has about a dozen businesses and is within walking distance of 812 Outdoor Market, a Hispanic pulga, or flea market.
The line at the taco stand where Rosa works is often more than 50-feet long. But lately, she said, there haven’t been nearly as many customers.
“People don’t want to go out,” Rosa said, noting grocery stores have also been empty in her area. “Two days ago, I went to H-E-B in the evening and it was empty; there weren’t any people.”
Esmeralda Suárez and her husband have owned and operated Barbacoa Santa Rosa, a popular food stand at the pavilion, for 20 years.
“We all know that the Hispanic community keeps everything running around here; it’s not just one store here or there,” Suárez said in Spanish. “We’re here and we’re here to work.”
She said she used this past weekend as a gauge for what to expect in the next few weeks, and she doesn’t like what she’s seeing.
On Saturday morning, a jewelry stand was the only vendor set up near the restaurant. Before Trump’s inauguration, there were about half a dozen vendors every weekend.
“People are afraid of Donald Trump’s policies,” Abdías Domínguez, who runs the stand with his wife, said in Spanish.
Although he’s in the U.S. legally, he said he and his wife still feel the impact of the Latino community avoiding public spaces and skipping work.
“The economy hurts us all,” Domínguez said. “ If they don’t work, who will buy from us?”
A few yards away at the 812 Outdoor Market, there are fewer customers than a month ago. A crowd of three listens to a band playing at the far end of the flea market. In the past, dozens of couples would be dancing to the banda music. But not today.
Vendors say the market’s hallways have also been less busy over the past two weekends.
