For a North Carolina woman, opening a business was supposed to be a new beginning. Instead, she says the fear of immigration enforcement has impacted her journey.
“I didn’t expect anything like that,” said Durham resident Beatriz Vázquez.
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Vázquez, a single mother and immigrant, opened her food truck, “The Fenix Family Food Truck,” in November. After major shifts in immigration enforcement nationwide in 2025, she said her business and others are still dealing with the consequences.
“Not only me. Many other businesses close. They are already closed,” Vazquez said. “Our community wasn’t there.”
Local organizations working directly with Latino communities say they have seen it firsthand.
“In 2025, we did see a huge shift of a lot of fear. A lot of people not showing up to our programs,” Mariana Rocha-Golberg, the civic resource center coordinator from El Centro Hispano.
El Centro Hispano NC is one of the largest Latino community organizations in the Triangle. Organizers said it had to expand its services to offer legal support, including attorney guidance, to meet the growing needs.
“If people are not coming to us, they are still needing the service, and so if we can go to them, that's a lot safer,” Rocha-Golber continued.
According to El Pueblo, a community organization that surveyed more than 1,000 Latinos, fear of detention is pushing many to stay home.
Most respondents said they are avoiding daily activities out of fear of being identified as immigrants.
Nearly 40% said they have stopped going on family outings, while 27% no longer attend community events like gatherings or festivals.
But El Pueblo advocates say the most concerning findings go beyond social isolation.
More than 40% of respondents said fear is preventing them from seeking help or reporting abuse. With 23% saying they avoid asking for help and 20% saying they do not report abuse.
Meanwhile, Republican leaders say recent enforcement efforts are focused on public safety, targeting dangerous individuals.
“Democrats will say illegal immigrants don't commit crimes at any higher rate than citizens. But here's what I know. That if illegal aliens were not in this country, there would be a zero percent chance,” said Destin Hall, North Carolina House Speaker.
But for someone like Vazques, she said her presence isn’t about committing a crime, but contributing to the community and providing for her family.
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Oriana Torre is a senior graduating journalism student at the University of Florida, specializing in broadcast journalism with a minor in Latin American Studies. She has worked in both English and Spanish newscasts as a reporter, anchor, producer, and multimedia journalist. She is passionate about community-centered stories, general assignment reporting, immigrant issues, and politics.