SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — John's Market in Solana Beach is struggling to stay open as its owners say ongoing immigration enforcement in the area has left customers too afraid to leave their homes to shop.
The Mexican specialty market and restaurant sits in the heart of Solana Beach. It sells fresh fruits and vegetables alongside convenience store staples and serves as a neighborhood restaurant. Siblings Wendy Aguilar and Carlo Sanchez have owned the business for nearly five years.
For the last 18 months, the two say business has been difficult.
"It was a domino effect. Inflation, prices, fear," Carlo said.
In addition to rising costs, Aguilar and Sanchez say customers have told them that the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents in the community has made them afraid to go out. Many are choosing to shop at stores where they can get everything they need in a single trip.
"If I go to one place and I can come back home without having to leave the house and be out for longer periods of time, then I feel safer," Carlo said, about what a customer told him once.
The restaurant had welcomed Border Patrol agents as customers. Carlo said they never returned after an agent asked him a direct question.
"Am I affecting your business even just ordering food? And I looked down because I said, unfortunately, yes. And he said, ' Make it to go, and I'll leave,' Carlo said. "But now they don't come back."
The impact has extended to food orders already in progress.
"A lot of customers were like, 'Oh, they're there, I can't come in, please cancel my order.' Food orders were already made," Wendy said.
A community leader has now started a GoFundMe page to support the market, encouraging people to shop there or dine at the restaurant. The owners say they are doing everything they can to keep the business going.
"We definitely want to stay. We just, we need to figure out how to make it work," Wendy said.
A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said enforcement operations are ongoing, adding that no one should be afraid of Border Patrol or ICE unless they are in the country illegally, and that agents are working to keep communities safe.
ICE said it does not disclose information about current or ongoing operations.
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