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Taste East Africa minneapolisThe manager and owner are the only employees working now, serving new customers who are unfamiliar with the food but are working to support a restaurant challenged by a surge in federal immigration enforcement.
Like employees, regular customers are afraid to come to restaurants in heavily immigrant areas, which are often targets of immigration enforcement actions. Gig workers aren’t taking delivery orders because they, too, are afraid.
“Even if you tell ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) you’re a citizen, they won’t listen, so everyone is scared,” said restaurant manager Hibaq Nimale, a U.S. citizen who grew up in Kenya as a Somali refugee.
Businesses across swaths of Minneapolis have been hit by protests as President Donald Trump’s administration conducts a massive immigration sweep. With employees and customers staying home, protesters have targeted businesses they say contribute to federal immigration enforcement, with countless stores temporarily closing, canceling events or reducing hours. Some hotels that have hosted federal immigration officials and faced protests have stopped accepting reservations entirely, while Minneapolis-based Target Corp. has also faced protests.
Adding insult to an already troubled economy
status minnesota The Twin Cities cited the devastating economic impact in a lawsuit filed this month, imploring a federal judge to halt the immigration actions. The lawsuit alleges that some businesses reported sales drops of as much as 80%.
An October report from the Minneapolis Fed noted that economic indicators were weak even before more than 2,000 federal immigration officials began arriving in Minneapolis. sao paulo. But a report in January highlighted that some businesses in Minnesota were holding back sales and reducing foot traffic due to “fear of immigration enforcement.” Nearly 20% of companies surveyed said they had reduced headcount due to similar concerns.
“I see it affecting everyone just because people are traveling and spending less of their discretionary income,” said Adam Duininck, CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District.
Even white-collar businesses are being affected, said Fred Haberman, co-founder and CEO of a small marketing firm in Minneapolis. He said his business has been affected by severe disruptions to “support systems” such as schools and day care programs, which employees rely on to maintain normal work schedules.
He worries that if the federal government doesn’t change course soon, the city’s economic landscape could be permanently changed.
“A lot of these businesses don’t have huge profit margins,” Haberman said.
In a statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin pointed to the protests and what she said was “the fact that sanctuary policies do not allow us to cooperate with state and local law enforcement” when asked about economic concerns.
hotel uncertainty
Large hotel chains like Hilton have been grappling with this conflict. At least one location canceled bookings with federal immigration officials in the wake of frequent protests, only to reverse course after the Department of Homeland Security accused it of impeding law enforcement.
Protesters said at least three hotels in the Twin Cities would not accept reservations from immigration officials on Wednesday. Rooms at the DoubleTree by Hilton and the InterContinental in downtown St. Paul and the Canopy by Hilton in Minneapolis cannot be reserved online until early February.
An employee at the InterContinental Hotel’s front desk said by phone that the hotel was closing for the safety of its employees, but gave no details. Signs in front of the DoubleTree and InterContinental hotels read “Temporarily closed until further notice.” Canopy is always open but not taking reservations. Anti-ICE demonstrators had staged raucous protests here aimed at keeping federal officers from sleeping.
Hilton and IHG did not respond to emails seeking comment.
Dunink said hotels are balancing financial prudent decisions with safety. He noted that many restaurants that remain open are reporting fewer reservations and more cancellations than usual.
“As a businessman, my sense of safety is different from the way people come here to work,” Duinink said, noting that many workers in the hospitality industry are non-white and fear profiling by federal agents. On the other hand, many hotel owners are trying to avoid strong financial retaliation from the federal government or protesters.
The impossible choice, he said, exemplified “the political moment this is for our city and our country.”
Economic leverage as a protest strategy
Faith leaders, unions and activists called on Twin Cities residents not to work, shop or go to school Friday and “demand that ICE cease operations immediately,” according to the campaign website.
Boycotts and economic protests are common tactics in the region.
Early last year, Minnesota civil rights leaders were among the first nationwide to call for a full boycott of the company after Target Corp. announced it would phase out some diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives after Trump pushed to dismantle DEI policies in the federal government and schools.
Last week, about 100 clergy members protested at the entrance to Target’s downtown Minneapolis headquarters, demanding the retailer take a tougher stance against federal law enforcement.
Video also showed demonstrators holding signs at a Target store in St. Paul calling for the abolition of ICE and accusing the big-box retailer of allowing federal law enforcement to conduct operations on its properties.
Legal protection for businesses
Anyone – including immigration enforcement officers – can legally enter the common areas of a business. These areas include dining areas, parking lots, office lobbies and store aisles. These are places where immigration officials can question people, obtain information and even make arrests, said John Medeiros, who leads the corporate immigration practice at the Minneapolis-based law firm Nilan Johnson Lewis.
But workers and customers enjoy some legal protections. They can refuse to talk to immigration enforcement officials, consent to a search or request an attorney.
ICE needs permission from the employer or a judicial warrant to enter a business’s private spaces, such as a back office or emergency room. The judicial order must be signed by a judge and list the specific authorizing court. These warrants may be limited to specific dates or types of information about the business. Experts stress that it is important for workers to understand their legal rights, which areas of the business are private and how to distinguish between different warrants.
Immigration lawyers are warning ICE of entering private spaces and illegally detaining people without proper warrants.
Medeiros encourages people to document their encounters with federal agents.
Help from neighbors can temporarily relieve stress
Niemeier said strong support from non-immigrant neighbors was at least temporarily offsetting the economic challenges facing East Africa. Before the crackdown, she estimated that nearly 80 percent of her customers were Somali. Now, that’s about 10 percent, and although service is typically slower due to a lack of staff, new customers unfamiliar with the local cuisine fill the gap.
Niemeyer said she appreciates her neighbors’ kindness but worries it’s far from a sustainable solution.
“We don’t know how long we’ll have support,” she said.
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Associated Press writer Whitey Grantham-Philips also reported.