Rosa Ludena stands behind the counter of her modest electronics store in Newark’s Ironbound region, where Latin music plays in bakeries and Spanish signage illuminate almost every shopfront. For more than twenty years, she has sold phone cases, chargers, and other accessories that are now all over the walls. But most days, her store feels quieter than ever. Customers who used to come by often are now afraid to go outside. Ludena, 51, a U.S. citizen from Ecuador, adds, “There are a lot of Hispanics in this area, and they are afraid to go out because of immigration raids.” “What will I do if sales go down?”
Her statements show how many Latino communities in the US are becoming more and more worried. Since Donald Trump became president again, the government has stepped up its efforts to enforce immigration laws all throughout the country. There have been high-profile raids on farms, factories, retail chains, and even public places like Home Depot parking lots, where undocumented workers regularly look for work. Many Hispanic families seem to get the message: be careful, stay home, and don’t go out in public unless you have to.
This dread has an effect on more than just people; it’s changing how communities shop and spend. Local establishments that used to do well because people were loyal to them are now having a hard time because customers are going back to the safety of purchasing online. A once-busy cultural economy based on face-to-face contacts is progressively being replaced by a digital barrier that many small company owners are having trouble crossing.
Small Hispanic-owned businesses in locations like Newark, Houston, Los Angeles, and Phoenix say that foot traffic has dropped sharply. These are not one-time events; they are part of a larger trend of consumers changing their behaviour out of fear and uncertainty. A number of Latino immigrants, both legal and illegal, say they would rather get groceries, clothes, and even household goods online than go to the store in person. It’s not simply about making things easier for them. It’s for safety.
Economists say that Hispanic consumers have been one of the fastest-growing economic groups in the US for a long time. Their combined buying power is expected to surpass $2.8 trillion next year, which shows how important they are to the retail industry in the United States. But as immigration enforcement gets stricter, that money is going more and more to big internet stores like Amazon, Walmart, and Target instead than small, local stores.
This change feels very personal for small business owners like Ludena, who founded her firm on personal ties. She replies softly, “My customers used to come in and talk about their families, their kids, or what phone they wanted for Christmas.” “Now, they merely send me a message online. They don’t want to be seen.
Other business owners in the Ironbound district, which has a strong Latino identity, share her fears. Many people have discovered that people they know are no longer coming to their stores. Even regular clients are hard to find at the Tien Rong Gift Shop, which is managed by the Shan family. It looks like fear is now a big part of the economy, just like taxes and inflation.
You can also see the rippling effects in the retail industry as a whole. Big businesses that depend on Hispanic spending have started to keep track of the change. Leaders of big consumer goods companies, such makers of drinks and grocery chains, have noticed that sales are down in stores in largely Hispanic areas. At the same time, orders from such ZIP codes for online shopping are going up. It’s a quiet but big change that experts say might change local economies for good.
Leaders in the community say that the situation is a loss of culture as well as money. Local stores, which are often managed by immigrants for immigrants, have long been places where people may feel at home and interact with others. Families can discover cuisine they know, speak their language freely, and feel like they belong there. A lot of these places are now emptying out.
Some groups that help people have started to get support for the store owners who were affected. They are helping them set up an online presence. There are now digital marketing workshops and bilingual e-commerce training programs in several locations. But a lot of older store owners find the move to digital too much to handle. One Newark grocer in his fifties explains, “We grew up talking to people, not screens.” “It’s not easy to sell online when you built your life around knowing your customers’ names.”
Economists point out that the situation also shows that small enterprises are not equally prepared to adapt. Big businesses have the systems and processes in place to service customers online. Independent retailers frequently don’t have websites, delivery methods, or even the money to promote online. Many people risk being left behind in a market that is quickly going online without these skills.
