Many business owners joined together on Tuesday to explain how fear has driven their customers and their workers away.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the heart of Columbus’ Somali community, fear and uncertainty are translating into empty storefronts.
Ayaan Ahmed walked 10TV into her mother’s store. It’s full of multicolored hijabs and perfumes.
The only thing missing was customers.
“This is my mother’s only source of income. Ever since ICE came to town, people just aren’t coming in,” she said.
ICE began “Operation Buckeye” last week in Columbus.
Several immigrant-owned businesses along Morse Road joined together Tuesday and spoke about how employees are not showing up for work and customers are too afraid to shop for fear of being arrested.
Many in the community say ICE roundups are nothing but warrantless kidnappings, something ICE denies.
ICE said they are arresting non-citizens with criminal records.
At the Global Mall along Morse Road, which caters to a large Muslim community, leaders from Columbus’s Somali, Hispanic and Haitian communities called for unity and action.
“These businesses are threatened,” said Khalid Tunaani, executive director of CAIR Ohio.
“We just have one choice — either unite ourselves or be un-united,” said Fernando Carter, a local business owner.
Community leaders said federal enforcement efforts are spreading fear among immigrant families, regardless of legal status.
“We are here to speak up for everyone until this ends,” said Monica Villasenor, owner of Tasty Tacos
10TV spoke to an immigration attorney who said many of her clients caught up in ICE raids are legally allowed to live here.
“Yesterday I had a Venezuelan man who is a U.S. citizen whose Venezuelan wife was coming into the house from working and she was detained. Again, she had an asylum case pending. They were getting ready to file their marriage case. The people that we are currently speaking with and are being detained, they’re being detained at home, they’re being detained at gas stations, they’re being detained at work, they’re being detained in a park. So if someone is detained, I have no one to contact. That again is purposeful. That is coming from headquarters. They are not allowed to speak to us and that includes ICE, DHS, who we always had a very good relationship with,” said Inna Simakovsky, a Columbus immigration attorney.
As for Ahmed, she said she’s now turning to social media to help keep her mother’s business afloat—encouraging customers to shop online until it feels safe to return in person.
“I felt it was necessary. That’s the only way people can make money right now,” she said.
