By Jorge Mercado Thursday, February 5th, 2026

Recent and continued activity from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is hurting Central Coast business and while no exact economic figures exist, the owners themselves are speaking out.

Jose Luis Lopez Elizalde, an immigrant from Ensenada, has made a name for himself in the restaurant industry, going from an IHOP manager in the 2000s, overseeing 20 locations, to being the owner of four restaurants in Southern California, three of which reside in Ventura County.

Despite having ambitions of opening more, Lopez Elizalde told the Business Times those dreams are being put on hold because of current ICE activity.

“It is hard to invest right now because we don’t know what will happen,” Lopez Elizalde said.

One of those restaurants is Downtown Cafe in Oxnard, which Lopez Elizalde said has been hit the hardest. Oxnard has a high Latino population, with about 75% of people identifying as Latino or Hispanic.

Lopez Elizalde said that about 80% of his customers have been scared to come in because of recent ICE activity, adding that even some of his staff have chosen to skip work, in fear that they would get caught up with federal immigration.

Chris Thornberg, a founding partner of Beacon Economics, told the Business Times that any data on how ICE activity is affecting businesses would still take a long time to show, especially since most of the businesses being affected are those that serve Hispanic and undocumented people — usually a lower-income demographic.

“So as much as I can see how this activity creates stress for these businesses, we have to keep in mind these aren’t businesses that are movers and shakers and so we won’t see that in the data very clearly,” Thornberg said.

Thornberg, however, criticized ICE activity, saying that the entire process is “an enormous waste of money.”

“When you think about how much time they’ve spent in LA, and you realize the folks they gathered up are such a tiny percentage…  You start to recognize that this is an enormous amount of economic damage. What exactly is even being accomplished?” he said. 

“Millions and millions of federal dollars are being wasted in the midst of these massive deficits on something that accomplishes absolutely nothing except for harassing a bunch of low-income folks for no reason.”

The Trump administration argues that restricting legal and illegal immigration would boost the national economy by reducing labor competition.

Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli has said that the increased immigration law enforcement activity is specifically targeting people with criminal records and those with final deportation orders.

Gisela Jimienez, owner of Mexican eatery Tacos Don Roge in Carpinteria, told the Business Times that her shop has been hit especially hard as the majority of people who enjoy their food are Latinos. 

She said what has been especially hard is people misidentifying cops or other law enforcement as ICE and making posts about it online, leading to people simply not wanting to go out. 

“People are just not going out,” she said.

But it’s not just restaurants that are being affected.

Take Yesenia’s Boutique, a boutique shop in Carpinteria, which has been hit hard since the large-scale ICE enforcement operation that hit the Carpinteria Valley in July.

Owner Martha Marquez said that business has been especially slow to start the year, adding that at least five of her regular clients have been abducted by ICE agents.

“It’s really depressing,” Marquez said. “I have clients who call me just to ask if immigration is nearby.”

According to 805UndocuFund, which offers relief to undocumented and mixed-status families in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, there have been nearly 1,600 reported cases of people being taken by federal agents across the tri-counties over the past year. 

“This is only what we know of. ICE continues to terrorize our communities over & under the radar,” the nonprofit said in an Instagram post. 

Marquez added that while her business, which has existed for about 25 years, is still hanging on at the moment, should the current trend continue, she is unsure if it can stay afloat.

“We feel powerless because there is nothing we can do,” she said. “All these years of work just for it to be so slow through no fault of our own.”

Other prominent Latino business owners, such as Teresa Arredondo, are also deeply saddened by the activity. Arredondo, owner of ArtCraft Paint in Santa Maria and an immigrant herself from Michoacán, Mexico, said that listening and hearing stories from others, “it has been hard not to feel the weight of how unfair this is.”

“What stands out most is the disconnect: people being targeted are often doing exactly what society says it values, working hard, supporting family, paying taxes, contributing quietly and consistently. There’s something deeply unjust about treating survival and contribution as something suspicious or punishable,” she told the Business Times via text.

She added that people should be cognizant of how they protest and bring attention to this issue, however.

“As an immigrant who came to this country young, I learned that respecting the law and defending civil rights go hand in hand. I value law enforcement, I value our freedoms, and I believe change should always be pursued peacefully and responsibly,” she said. “I came to this country grateful for the opportunity. I respect law enforcement, I defend civil rights, and I reject violence — because real change is built with responsibility, not chaos.”

In an act of protest, businesses throughout the country, including the Central Coast, took a stand on Jan. 30, deciding to close for the day or donate a portion of their proceeds as part of a national protest against ICE, specifically for their actions in Minnesota.

Some closures included Santa Barbara’s popular Mexican restaurant, Los Agaves, Blackwater, a gift and vintage shop in downtown San Luis Obispo, Len Collective, a jewelry shop in SLO and many more.

Businesses like Downtown Cafe and Yesenia’s Boutique, though they did not close down, donated food and supplies, respectively, in an effort to give back to their community and try to fight back against the injustices placed on the Central Coast community.

“I came to this country in 1990, and I have worked very hard to give back to my community. This country was made by immigrants and now they want to kick us out. It is very sad,” Lopez Elizalde said.

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