East Charlotte businesses report thousands in losses during Border Patrol operation
Normally, winter weather means good business at Los Primos Grill.
The Latin barbecue restaurant especially appeals to people when it’s chilly outside. They want hot, grilled food without having to brave the cold and man the grill themselves, manager Jessie Gabrie said.
But since United States Border Patrol agents conducted a five-day operation in Charlotte last month, customers have been afraid to visit her family’s restaurant or their food truck, she said.
“Business is just so slow,” Gabrie said as she sat in a booth at the Albemarle Road restaurant that opened earlier this year, only rarely having to get up to hand someone a to-go order.
Other businesses in the area are struggling financially, too, according to an informal survey done by a group focused on economic development.
Gabrie said that when news broke that Border Patrol was coming to Charlotte, and when videos started showing the drama unfolding nearby on Nov. 15, they decided to close shop for the weekend.
Throughout the next week, Los Primos only offered pick-ups and DoorDash orders, she said.
By Tuesday, things were starting to pick up. But employees had already been struggling.
“It’s affecting them,” Gabrie said. “Most of them have asked for letters for their apartment complexes because they can’t pay their rent... We’ve been doing that for them, helping them.”
Survey says businesses are struggling
That’s not unusual, according to an informal survey recently conducted by CharlotteEAST, a group focused on economic development in that part of the city.
Ninety-six business owners responded, and 70% were from the east side of the city, said CharlotteEAST Executive Director Greg Asciutto.
One business owner reported losing as much as $6,000 when having to close for a day or having so few customers. That was not unusual. Other anonymous respondents threw out figures in the hundreds and thousands, too.
One person said their business is mostly based at home, so they lost no money. But they stayed away from their east Charlotte office for the time being because they were “concerned BP is still monitoring that area.”
Local officials say Border Patrol has left Charlotte, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement remains active in the city on a smaller scale.
Another respondent said that their employees were also struggling.
When businesses had to close, they lost an average of $2,500 a day, Asciutto said.
For some, a slump worse than 2020
Albemarle Road ice cream shop Antojos Locos had recently reopened. But business was still slow, said Nitzel Hernandez, who runs the family business’ social media accounts.
There is widespread fear in east Charlotte’s Hispanic community, she said.
“Even a lot of people who are citizens don’t go out, just because they’re scared that they might be separated or detained, from Border Patrol,” she said. “We had to close down for almost two weeks due to that. No one wanted to come out. Our employees are scared. Everyone, in general, in the Hispanic community, really.”
The shop opened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even that was not as bad, she said.
“We’ve been open for five years now, and we’ve never encountered how much the numbers have went down from what happened,” she said.
Local officials and advocates have said it will take time for east Charlotte to recover financially. The city has committed $100,000 to help people hurt by layoffs and other hits to their income.
“As we head into the holiday season, it’s important for all of us to lean in and support each other,” Mayor Vi Lyles said in a statement announcing that support. “We know many law-abiding people across Charlotte were financially hurt, and this support will help provide reassurances and comfort in what should be a festive time of year.”
Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.