Charlotte’s Latino shops weather Border Patrol raids: Rattled customers, empty lots
READ MORE
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.
Expand All
The El Mariachi shopping center on North Tryon Street is a one-stop shop for Hispanic and Latino patrons, according to David Rebolloso. He owns the laundromat nestled in the corner of the triangular plaza.
So, someone could drop their clothes off at the laundromat. Get their hair done at Emely’s. Go food shopping at El Mariachi Supermercado y Restaurante. Grab bread and cake from Panaderia Odalys and a sweet treat from Paleteria Mich Tocumbo.
“It would be very busy on weekends, even during the week,” Rebolloso said. “We have a restaurant as well, so people come to eat and have lunch, have breakfast and all that.”
But since U.S. Border Patrol descended on Charlotte over the weekend, with over 250 arrests since Saturday, the parking lot has been a desert. Mostly, all the businesses were closed except for the laundromat, which had about two patrons.
On Thursday, even the laundromat shuttered its doors.
It’s unclear when they’ll reopen.
“People are not coming out because the word has gone around that (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) are in the area,” Rebolloso said. “Because of the fear of ICE, People are just staying away.”
In what’s being called “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” the Department of Homeland Security has sent an unknown number of masked federal Border Patrol agents to the Charlotte area. It’s a similar operation to what took place in Chicago, where for weeks at least 200 agents swooped into neighborhoods and detained at least 1,500 people.
ICE agents also have had a presence in Charlotte since earlier this year.
In Charlotte, Border Patrol agents approached people in apartment complexes, on the street and in parking lots. Including the lot of El Mariachi shopping center, Rebolloso said.
Vicente Telec, a manager at El Mariachi, said Border Patrol was last seen in the N. Tryon shopping center on Monday.
The agencies have not released names or information on those arrested. It’s unclear whether how many of the detainees had criminal records, as suggested by DHS. Nor has DHS said where detainees are being held.
What is clear, at least to Rebolloso, is that Border Patrol’s presence in Charlotte is causing fear in both citizens and noncitizens. And businesses in the area are seeing the impact.
“A typical customer will spend 1.5 or two hours in a laundromat, but that’s too much risk for them,” Rebolloso said. “From what I’ve seen, they’re picking up the Hispanics, the Latinos… It’s racial profiling. It’s a scare tactic.”
Missing regular customers on Charlotte’s Central Avenue
Maria Vargas said she’s feeling a similar fear, and knows her customers are as well. She’s a manager at Sav/Way Foods, a Latino grocery store on Central Avenue.
“Even if you do have legal status here… it’s hard to come outside because of the way you look,” Vargas said, “Even for me, I have to carry my American passport around … It’s 2025. It’s unbelievable that we have to do that.”
Business at the grocery store has been slow, Vargas said.
On the weekends, usually all six registers are firing. Saturday and Sunday, that dropped to two. But the sales aren’t her biggest worry. It’s the customers.
“Our regular Sunday customers, we didn’t see them yesterday,” Vargas said. “It’s really sad not to see your normal customers, like ‘Hey Mr. such and such, what are you cooking today’... I’m thinking about them. How they’re in their houses not able to come out, not able to send their kids to school or buy the essentials.
“That has to be really hard for them.”
Vargas’ sadness deepens when customers ask what would she do if Border Patrol comes to the establishment. It’s similar to the feeling Vargas had during the beginning days of the pandemic.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” Vargas said.
More empty stores on Eastway Drive
For a decade, Noelia Arteaga’s parents have run a small convenience store on Eastway Drive. Like Rebolloso’s laundromat, the store is surrounded by Hispanic-owned bakery, restaurant and furniture stores. There’s also a tattoo shop.
In those 10 years, Arteaga’s never seen the parking lot so empty. On Monday afternoon, two cars were there: hers and the owner of the tattoo shop.
Even her parents are riddled with anxiety and don’t want to leave the house.
“It’s bad. I’ve never seen my mom so stressed out to the point that she doesn’t have the energy to do anything,” Arteaga said. “It’s tough seeing my parents in such a difficult situation … Luckily, they do have their papers, but they’re still very scared to come out. They feel like ICE doesn’t care because of how they look, and they’ll get stopped, tense up and forget everything.”
On Sunday, Arteaga said, Border Patrol agents were seen near Garinger High School, down the block from the store. A black SUV with Florida license plates pulled up to the corner and a masked man came out.
Someone was picked up, Arteaga said. And three people ran into the store.
“It’s heartbreaking to see how scared these customers were,” Arteaga said. “They started trembling and shaking at even the thought of (Border Patrol).”
After that, everything in the plaza closed, Arteaga said. She doesn’t know when the nearby stores will reopen.
What’s next for Charlotte’s Latino businesses
For now, Arteaga is running the business, and she’s trying to stay open if customers decide to come out.
“It’s the least that I could do for (my parents), given how much they’ve done for me my whole life,” Arteaga said. “I don’t want to put any more pressure on them.”
It’s unclear how long Border Patrol will be in Charlotte. And it’s unclear how long some businesses will stay closed. Restaurants where Border Patrol agents were seen over the weekend, including El Taco Veloz on N. Tryon, remained closed on Monday.
The restaurant by Arteaga has been closed since Sunday.
Rebolloso said he would stay open but Thursday, his doors were locked.
“You can’t open a business if only two people show up,” Telec said. “People are afraid.”
El Mariachi is screening customers before allowing people inside.
Vargas has a plan for customers who can’t make it in.
Sav/Way doesn’t have an online shopping portal but she is offering delivery services. Customers can reach out via the store’s What’s App number and request groceries. They will deliver it to customers doors.
Rebolloso was working on a pickup and drop-off service as well.
It’s not about the businesses bottom line but more about helping the community, Vargas and Rebolloso said. Especially since the future is so murky.
“Instead of helping people, (Border Patrol are) just terrorizing people,” Rebolloso said. “I’ve dealt with immigration issues my whole life … These people are not criminals. These folks are just regular working people.
“They just want to make a living and move on with life.”
This story was originally published November 18, 2025 at 9:24 AM.
