Fernando Hernández had plans to expand El Carrito, his food cart selling tamales and esquites in the parking lot of a Latino grocery store in Gresham's Rockwood neighborhood.
Those plans are shelved. His sales are down 40% this summer compared to last year, and two employees left after he cut their hours.
He's not alone. Across the Portland metro area, Latino-owned businesses are reporting steep revenue declines during what should be their busiest season, as federal immigration enforcement continues what advocates call a "silent surge." The Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition had verified 43 immigration arrests in Oregon as of Aug. 16, following 70 in July. Those numbers are likely undercounts because detentions are self-reported to the coalition's hotline.
The arrests are less visible than last fall's crackdown, when videos showed agents breaking car windows and detaining people near schools and businesses, prompting several Oregon cities to declare states of emergency. But the economic toll keeps mounting.
Businesses bleeding customers
At M&M Marketplace, a flea market in Hillsboro housing about 70 small businesses, manager Jaime Miranda said 10 vendors left this summer after their sales dropped 30% to 40%. The marketplace lost a similar number last fall but replaced them early in 2026 when arrests briefly declined. The last four months have been slow again, Miranda said, because customers are going out only when necessary.
Marco Perez, assistant manager at a Portland-area Latino grocery store that asked not to be named over fears of being targeted, estimated business is down 35% to 40%. Customers who used to visit two or three times a week now come once. The store has cut worker hours but hasn't laid anyone off.
A Mexican grocery store owner in Gresham, who also declined to be identified, reported a 50% sales drop. One cashier with a valid work permit quit out of fear. The owner cut remaining cashiers' shifts by two hours.
Shifting tactics, sustained fear
Ana Muñoz, director of community defense with Latino Network, said on July 23 that federal agents are changing tactics, targeting people in rural areas and on their way to work in ways that generate fewer public videos. She called it a "silent surge" because the arrests draw far less media attention than last fall's enforcement wave.
The coalition reported that delivery drivers are being detained at Walmarts around the state, people are being picked up at county courthouses on court dates, and detentions are increasing in big-box store parking lots.
Nicole Davison León, executive director of the Hispanic Metro Chamber, warned that reduced visibility could translate to reduced support for affected families and businesses.
Officials respond, resources available
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, all 12 city council members and City Administrator Raymond Lee issued a joint statement on July 21 denouncing the enforcement surge and pledging to strengthen sanctuary protocols.
State Rep. Daniel Nguyễn (D-SW Portland & Lake Oswego), who chairs the House Committee on Economic Development, Small Business, and Trade, said in a July 24 statement that enforcement fear is keeping workers from showing up and entrepreneurs from expanding.
The Hispanic Metro Chamber has posted an Asset Protection resource in Spanish and English with guides, workplace signage and power of attorney templates. The chamber is hosting "Emprender Juntos," a financial planning workshop for entrepreneurs, on Thursday, Aug. 27, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
The Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition hotline is 888-622-1510.
