‘Closed until further notice’: How can you help Charlotte’s Latino-owned businesses?
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Border Patrol in Charlotte
U.S. Border Patrol began making rounds in Charlotte on Saturday morning.
This follows recent Border Patrol activity in Chicago that made headlines, with some reports alleging agents violated people’s rights.
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When Manuel “Manolo” Betancur saw CharlotteFive videographer Alex Cason in the parking lot of Manolo’s Bakery on Saturday afternoon, he walked right up to Cason’s car window to deliver the news: For the first time in 28 years, he was going to close the Charlotte bakery.
With U.S. Border Patrol in the area detaining people, it just wasn’t safe for the Latino community to have the doors open right now, Betancur explained. “They’re lying, man,” he told Cason. “They’re not chasing criminals. They’re chasing anyone who looks, speaks like me, who has an accent like me ....”
The bakery will remain closed for now, and Betancur wasn’t sure when it would reopen.
After we shared the news on Instagram, the community seemed to speak up collectively: How can we help?
With U.S. Border Patrol in Charlotte, area businesses close
It wasn’t just Manolo’s Bakery affected by the presence of Border Patrol agents.
Around Charlotte, employees and customers could be seen getting dragged out of local businesses and loaded into cars. Some restaurateurs closed entirely, others switched to takeout only, and some who remained open saw empty dining rooms.
Pisco Peruvian Gastrolounge posted on Saturday that it would be temporarily closing. “We cannot wait for the moment we can safely welcome you back and continue sharing our culture, our food, and our vibes,” the restaurant shared on Instagram.
The Charlotte Observer’s Patrick Wilson stopped in for an early dinner at Como en Mexico on Sugar Creek Road on Saturday evening and found himself nearly alone in the restaurant. Only one other couple was dining in, while another couple stopped by for a takeout order.
It’s unclear if the restaurant is typically busy at that time. However, on Sunday, the restaurant was closed and the parking lot was empty. It’s typically open 7 days a week.
The dining room at Coco Mexican Restaurant in Mint Hill opened for takeout only on Sunday.
Food Geeks Eatery posted an emotional reel on Sunday afternoon, stating the restaurant’s Charlotte location will be closed on Monday in order to keep its staff safe.
El Taco Veloz on North Tryon Street had a sign posted Sunday stating “We are currently closed until further notice.”
Legends Ice Cream & Snacks on Sharon Amity Road will be closed until further notice, co-owner Javier Morales (QC Javi) posted overnight on Sunday. “Everyone’s safety is more important so we have made the decision to shut it down,” Morales said. “I don’t even have words or know what to say to you guys, but thank you for your support.” He then panned across the empty and darkened ice cream shop, which featured a decorated Christmas tree in the foreground with its lights off, before showing a sign on the door stating the store would be closed “Due to Icy conditions.”
On Monday morning, Le’s Sandwiches and Cafe posted it would close early today. “Our local supply chain has been disrupted by the ICE and Border Patrol raids. We also want to protect our family and customers. We will reopen as soon as possible.”
Super G Mart posted Monday that it would be closing earlier, adjusting hours to be 9 a.m.-7 p.m. until Nov. 21. An employee was pulled out of the store and taken away by Border Patrol agents on Saturday.
Tacos Don Coyotl food truck — often found at Resident Culture — closed Sunday afternoon and planned to remain that way through November, saying: “Alright guys. We are closing for a bit. I’m sure everyone has heard and seen what is happening in Charlotte at the moment. We hope to be back soon.”
Even across the border in South Carolina, Las Américas Mercado Y Cocina in Rock Hill canceled this upcoming week’s Taco Tuesday, stating the safety of the community comes first.
How to help: Support local Latino-owned businesses
As businesses close or face the loss of customers, the Charlotte community has asked for ways to help out. Here are a few ideas to support the local Latino community:
- Support your favorite Latin-owned business by spending your money with them. Here’s a list of 17, including pet food shops, tattoo shops, art galleries and more.
- Support Latin-owned restaurants. Last month, we published 10 underrated Latin American restaurants in the Charlotte area if you’d like some inspiration.
Extending support will help keep businesses afloat during this time. “These next two weeks are BRUTAL for food and bev, some of you are purchasing your turkeys and buying your potatoes and gravy and other families are scared to go out to the grocery store or not working on the busiest season because of FEAR,” The Batchmaker wrote on Instagram.
“Immigration looks different for everyone but the one thing we all have in common is the courage to leave everything you know (the food, the language, the culture, the traditions, the spaces, the faces) and the bravery to start somewhere else,” wrote The Batchmaker, a Latin owned business.
How to help: Donate to those who help Charlotte’s immigrant community
Local organizations who help Charlotte’s immigrant community include:
- International House: A nonprofit dedicated to helping immigrants and with a focus on international culture.
- Refugee Support Services: Helps refugees, asylees, and other displaced people settle in Charlotte.
- ourBRIDGE for Kids: Offers culturally responsive, trauma-informed services to refugee and immigrant children.
Spend money at businesses who help
☕️ Buy a coffee: Detour Coffee Bar is donating 15% of sales and 50% of tips to the Carolina Migrant Network all week long.
🛍️ Additionally, you can donate to or buy shirts, hoodies or tote bags from By Immigrant Hands, which is a nonprofit owned by Betancur, dedicated to helping the forgotten and “uniting neighbors, communities, and nations” by giving out bread and birthday cakes.
“When we stop the division, when we stop the racial profiling, we stop the racism,” Betancur told us on Saturday.
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This story was originally published November 16, 2025 at 4:00 PM.
