Immigration enforcement reached a Korean American market in Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina, heightening tension across Korean American business districts in LA.
Local business owners are increasingly alarmed as sporadic ICE actions have continued in areas such as the Fashion District, and a memo containing holiday-season operation plans became public ahead of Thanksgiving. Many fear that unannounced raids could occur as the year ends.
Allan Choi, who runs a furniture manufacturing company in the LA area, said he keeps hearing from Hispanic employees that acquaintances have been arrested nearby. He said everyone is anxious about surprise checks during the holiday season.
Christine Yoo, who operates a clothing wholesale business in the Fashion District, said business has weakened because of enforcement activity. She said many employees are too afraid to come to work, and customers are avoiding the area due to fear of raids, worsening economic conditions.
On the 5th, ICE carried out a daytime operation in the LA Fashion District. Video obtained by this newspaper shows a Hispanic employee of a downtown wholesale business being arrested while delivering goods. As the footage spread, many owners said they felt that another large-scale operation seemed to be approaching and stayed on alert. In the Korean American community, a major raid occurred at Korean-run clothing store Ambiance in the Fashion District in June, and in September, 15 ICE agents entered a car wash in Koreatown and arrested workers. Since then, many car wash employees in Koreatown have become reluctant to come to work because of fears of surprise operations during the holiday period.
Yoon Daejung, community solidarity director at KIWA (Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance), said small-scale immigration enforcement “is still happening now,” and many businesses—including car washes, retail shops, swap meets, and restaurants—are under severe economic pressure. He advised that when immigration officers appear, workers should request a warrant and refuse entry if one is not provided, record the situation on video, and immediately seek assistance from community organizations.
Concern is also growing that ICE may include religious facilities in year-end operations during the Thanksgiving period.
According to This Week in Worcester, three federal prosecutors in Massachusetts were briefed on year-end enforcement plans involving Spanish-language congregations. Internal discussions in some areas reportedly included not only churches but also mosques and synagogues as possible targets in planning.
In California, legislation has been introduced to allow lawsuits against immigration-enforcement agents. State Senator Scott Wiener (Democrat, San Francisco), who submitted the bill, said the federal government is wielding unchecked authority and “illegally kidnapping and deporting people.” He said federal, state, and local agents who violate constitutional rights must be held accountable. According to ProPublica, more than 170 U.S. citizens were wrongfully detained during immigration enforcement operations between January and October of this year.
BY HANKIL KANG [kang.hankil@koreadaily.com]
