June 19, 2025 – San Francisco, CA – Restaurants across the Bay Area are grappling with fear and uncertainty as immigration raids intensify throughout California, prompting some food trucks, farmers markets, and small eateries to temporarily shutter while others scramble to protect their workers and communities.
The heightened enforcement actions by the Trump administration have sent shockwaves through the hospitality industry, a sector heavily reliant on immigrant labor, leaving business owners and workers on edge.
The recent surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations has disrupted the vibrant culinary scene from San Diego to the Bay Area.
According to a report by CalMatters, “some food trucks, farmers markets and small restaurants are temporarily closed, while others are shielding workers and raising funds to help.”
This chilling effect stems from a broader crackdown targeting industries like hospitality, agriculture, and construction, which employ significant numbers of foreign-born workers.
In the Bay Area, the fear is palpable.
Many restaurant owners are hesitant to reopen or are operating with reduced hours as customers, wary of potential raids, stay home.
The CalMatters report highlights the case of Brandon Mejia, a San Bernardino native who organizes the 909Tacolandia pop-up events in Pomona and San Bernardino.
While not in the Bay Area, Mejia’s experience reflects the broader anxiety felt by food vendors statewide.
He canceled his events last week after videos surfaced on social media showing taqueros, farm workers and fruit vendors vanishing in immigration raids around LA and neighboring Ventura County.
Mejia expressed his concern, stating, “A lot of these vendors, their goal is to have restaurants. They want to follow the rules,” but the risk of raids was too high.
“Some people have told me that their relatives have got taken, so I don’t want to be responsible for that,” he said.
Bay Area restaurateurs face similar dilemmas.
The region’s diverse dining scene, known for its fusion of Mexican, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and other cuisines, relies heavily on immigrant workers, many of whom are now avoiding public spaces.
California Businesses Face The Odds Amid Immigration Raids
The Trump administration’s mixed messaging has compounded the uncertainty.
Late last week, President Donald Trump posted on social media that raids might be paused for industries like hospitality due to labor shortages, stating, “Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace.”
However, this reprieve was short-lived.
Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, clarified, “The President has been incredibly clear.
There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts.”
She added that “worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts.”
When asked if raids would target only those with criminal records, the agency did not respond, leaving business owners like Mejia to navigate a murky landscape.
“I’m following it step-by-step,” Mejia said.
“I fall under those categories — hospitality and restaurants.
But the thing that scares me is he said he’s going to go to the biggest cities — LA, Chicago, New York.
I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
How Big Are The Risks for Restaurants?
The Bay Area, with its major urban centers like San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, is among the “biggest cities” targeted, heightening local concerns.
Some Bay Area restaurants are taking proactive measures.
Community-embedded establishments are raising funds to support affected workers, while others are offering legal resources or advocating for sanctuary policies.
In Los Angeles, Pineda-Alfaro, a restaurant owner, emphasized the industry’s reliance on immigrants, noting, “The hospitality industry, the backbone of it, is mainly made by immigrants.
My dad was an immigrant until he got his citizenship.
It hits close to home.”
His restaurant, Comida, remained open, drawing community support after an Instagram post announcing a lunch deal garnered over 50,000 views.
“We’re embedded in the community, hence our name.
We’re going to remain open,” he said.
Bay Area eateries are adopting similar strategies, using social media to rally patrons and affirm their commitment to staying open despite the risks.
The economic implications are dire.
Foreign-born Californians account for one-third of restaurant workers, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of 2022 Census Bureau data.
In the Bay Area, where labor costs are already high, losing workers to raids or fear-driven absences could devastate small businesses.
A food-truck owner in Pasadena, quoted anonymously in the CalMatters report, expressed distrust in the administration’s promises, saying, “I have a hard time trusting what the president says.”
This sentiment resonates in the Bay Area, where owners are weighing whether to risk reopening or remain closed as their families face financial strain.
As protests against the raids continue across California, Bay Area communities are mobilizing.
The CalMatters report notes “a week of mass protests and more raids at farms, grocery stores and at least one swap meet,” signaling ongoing unrest.
In the Bay Area, local leaders and advocacy groups are pushing for stronger protections, echoing statewide efforts to shield schools, hospitals, and shelters from ICE operations.
Until clarity emerges, the region’s restaurants remain in limbo, their future tied to the unpredictable trajectory of federal immigration policy.
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