SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Ysidro business owners say Sunday's violence in Tijuana led to a noticeable slowdown in customers, adding to what has already been a difficult stretch for shops along the border.
Owners of Carolin Shoes, a family-owned business on San Ysidro Boulevard just a few miles from where the violence unfolded in Tijuana, said foot traffic dropped sharply on Sunday and into Monday.
Video from reporting partners N+ Tijuana shows some of the violence in the city, including burned-out cars and trucks on the road and vandalism at local grocery and convenience stores.
Carolin Shoes has been in business for over 20 years, but owners say the business has not fully recovered since COVID. They say tariffs and immigration enforcement have also kept customers away — and Sunday's violence added to an already difficult year.
"With everything happening yesterday, it was super quiet, like we didn't have a lot of traffic coming through, we didn't have a lot of people walking in the streets like we usually do," said Carolina Linn, whose parents own Carlin Shoes.
People crossing to and from Tijuana on Monday afternoon described the chaos they witnessed on Sunday. Many said they had chosen to stay home but felt more comfortable crossing a day later, now that things appeared to have calmed down.
"It was a little scary to see things on fire, all the movement all the military and whatnot it was a little concerning," said Derick Sanches, who lives in Tijuana but works in San Diego.
The U.S. State Department has a shelter-in-place recommendation for Americans in certain parts of Mexico. Businesses on the San Ysidro side of the border say they hope customers from Tijuana return soon.
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