Some businesses are struggling amid Operation Metro Surge, but community members in St. Paul are working to keep them afloat.
Margarita Valladares takes the keys and locks the door of El Guanaco as a customer walks out. It’s a routine now, even though the restaurant and bakery in St. Paul is open for business.
“The reason I lock the door is because of the situation we are facing outside,” Valladares said.
Valladares owns the business alongside her husband and says when the immigration crackdown ramped up, sales went down.
“It’s very stressful to write a check to pay a supplier for your basic materials, only to realize you might not have the funds to cover it,” Valladares said.
Valladares says they operate five locations, but right now one is closed. They see far fewer customers and have had to cut hours for their employees.
The Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) says El Guanaco isn’t the only one impacted by Operation Metro Surge.
“Just hearing their stories… it’s heartbreaking,” said Executive Director Alma Flores. “So the need is urgent, the need is now.”
LEDC is offering $800,000 in grant money to immigrant-owned businesses and says that in a matter of two days, 200 businesses filled out applications. Flores says the money is meant to cover things like rent, payroll and loan payments.
Valladares, originally from El Salvador, says she has been in the country for over 20 years. Her focus now is on keeping her business up and running.
“Our goal is that every difficult situation we face, we have to overcome it—and this is one of them. I tell my husband, ‘We are not going to give up,” Valladares said.
Other groups in the Twin Cities, like The Salt Cure, are also working to support impacted restaurants. The online fund is run through the Minneapolis Foundations and is doling out need-based grants.
