Lincoln Heights is a neighborhood northeast of Downtown Los Angeles that has historically served as a gateway for immigrant settlement in Los Angeles, leading to the community recently being a target for immigration sweeps.
Nestled between a flower shop and a discount store on Broadway Street — the neighborhood’s main artery — stands Pete’s Pet Supply. Inside, chirping parakeets greet you. The store’s orange and white tabby cat rubs its head against customers’ legs.
As soon as you walk in, shelves are stacked with ceramic pet bowls, Orijen dry dog food, and Nature’s Logic cat litter. The backroom is stocked and ready for grooming, but remains empty.
Owner Javier Cortés was sweeping the mess of hay and bird seeds that his store’s chickens’ left behind as he waits for customers to walk in.
“Far fewer people came to shop,” the 54-year-old said in Spanish sorrowfully. Before President Donald Trump stepped into office, Cortés recalled how the store was much more busy and cheerful.
Since June’s immigration raids, his small business has experienced a 60% drop in sales.
Before, people used to buy products related to dogs and cats — such as food, accessories, and toys — but not as much anymore.
“I stopped buying that product to not spend more than I need to,” Cortés said. The fear from the immigrant community has been exacerbated after the United States Supreme Court decision on Monday to lift a brief and unsigned order about restrictions on LA’s immigration stops, prohibiting masked government agents from racial profiling.
Videos circulating around Instagram documented how ICE has raided Lincoln Heights. Neighboring areas, such as Cypress Park, have also been swept according to Boyle Heights Beat, spreading fear across families and disrupting their daily lives.
“I feel rushed and scared,” said a Salvadoran woman who stopped by to purchase bird seeds for her parakeet, and has done so for seven years. She did not disclose her name out of fear for her safety. “When I am walking, I look everywhere and used to run errands in the mornings, but now I go in the evenings.”
Cortés immigrated to the United States in 1991 with his wife and eldest daughter from Mexico City and is now a naturalized citizen.
Prior to taking ownership of Pete’s Pet Supply in 2013, he used to own the flower shop next door, developing close-knit connections with his customers; over half of whom are undocumented.
The store’s hours remain the same, but Cortés laid off his only employee and now runs it alone. He works every day, and considers himself a good salesman.“Since I’m here, I negotiate with people to take what they want for less,” he said. “I’ve seen a difference in the business sales from doing that.”
In July, the LA Times reported that the number of dogs and cats surrendered to Los Angeles County animal shelters has more than tripled due to deportations, primarily targeting Latinx communities without a criminal record.
Cortés has been asked to foster the pets of customers who are personally affected by the ICE raids, but denied them due to the uncertainty of his business sales.
He’s also noticed a decline in grooming services as customers choose to do it themselves to save money and minimize their time spent outside.
However, there is one product that’s keeping this store afloat.
“The seed business is the one that pays the rent,” said Cortés, smiling.
Cortés said that a majority of his customers have parakeets and macaws as pets because of their ability to talk back. He enthusiastically added that “if people don’t have money for anything else, at least they know that birds always eat just like us!”
According to the American Immigration Council, which drew from 2023 census data, nearly 49% of entrepreneurs are immigrants in Los Angeles County, contributing $13 billion to the county’s economy.
Jody Agius Vallejo, an assistant professor of sociology at USC who studies immigration integration and minority entrepreneurs, said that there’s no data on the economic impacts of LA’s Latinx small businesses yet.
She works on the ground for the Orange County Rapid Response Network and has talked to Latine-owned small businesses. She confirms that these businesses are “suffering, and more so in minoritized communities [who] are feeling a significant amount of economic instability” due to the ICE raids.
Vallejo is also an Associate Director for USC’s Equity Research Institute, where they’ve produced new data estimates of LA County’s undocumented immigrants.
“So, 950,000 of LA County’s residents are immigrants and another 900,000 are U.S. citizens who live with undocumented people,” said Vallejo. “So when you target one undocumented person, you’re essentially targeting families, entire communities, and entire cities.”
She emphasized that the negative economic and social effects of deportations reverberate across family units, causing undocumented people to stay away from public spaces.
Cortés checked the promotional photos he had posted on Facebook with hope in his eyes.
“Small and immigrant-owned businesses are the source of jobs and income in this country, but I’m hopeful my store will be okay.”
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article stated that Javier Cortés is 55-years-old. He is 54.