How ICE raids affect North Jersey restaurant workers
By: Matt Cortina
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... It's somewhat hard to track, but about 16% of the people who work in new Jersey restaurants are undocumented immigrates, according to the most recent estimates. That's almost 44,000 people.
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Restaurants and bars are one of the highest employment industries for undocumented people in the state. So when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer raided a Newark seafood company on January 23, [2025] detaining both undocumented people and U.S. citizens without a warrant, the aftershocks of the event hit close to home for some in the North Jersey restaurant industry. Jonathan Echeverry, founder and owner of Montclair's Paper Plane Coffee Company "some of our kitchen staff, like our busboys, are here with green cards and they have papers but they are legitimately scared form the news coming out. They're detaining people that are actively in process for their mitigation and are just getting scooped up. so it's really scary."
..... As a result, Echeverry and other restaurant owners are adjusting to the new immigration enforcement actions by discussing there rights, going over procedures for encounters with agents and finding ways to let the broader community know what immigrants contribute to local restaurants.
..... It's work that's also being done by immigrants rights groups like Make the Road NJ.
..... "We're bracing ourselves for dramatic actions," says Sara Cullinane, the group's director. "but seeing it right in our backyard in Newark, in the Ironbound, is just devastating and having a really severe impact on the community."
..... Echeverry is "wary" about speaking out about immigaiton enforcement, like mnay ohter restaurant owners. Of primary concern for many is the fear of drawing the eye of immigaiton offiiclas, but also the blow-back from customers who agree with the Trump administration's renewed immigration enforcement tactics.
..... Echeverry, for instance, says people sent threats and planned a protest when Paper Plans put up a Blake Lives Matter poster during the George Floyd protests. (Echeverry ended up donating all sales on the day of the protest to BLM, about $8,000.)
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But Etcheverry is willing to talk, in part, because he is the product of illegal immigration: his parents came to the U.S. from Columbia 50 years ago on a tours visa, " and just stayed." Visa overstays account for a significant portion of unauthorized entry into the U.S. - about 510,000 people last year. [2024]
.... Etcheverry's parents opened a restaurant when he was 2, so he's been around restaurants his entire life and worked alongside immigrates from all over the world. The new enforcement actions are disheartening not only because many of the immigrates he's uncounted in restaurants are "the greatest people in the whole world," but also because of the wide net IE casting in detailing staff to stay prepared, but to also seek out levity.
..... "It's kind of crazy, but I think it's human nature to joke about it and then one of our guys was like, "Yeah, we saw ICE in our neighborhood on Mission Street, so if you don't see me tomorrow, I might've gotten picked up." Echeverry says. "And it's like wow, that's dark."
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To be clear, ICE maintains that it is targeting immigrants with criminal histories; in Newark and New York City, the majority of arrests are of undocumented people with criminal convictions or pending conviction in the U.S.
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But ICE will also arrest immigrates whose only demerit is unlawful entry int the country and immigrants who may have documentation, were allowed entry and regularly check in with immigration officials.
Immigrants' impact
..... Though a strictly economic ins, ICE raids could have a significant impact on the restaurant industry if employees were afraid to show up to work. widespread are the reports of immigrate workers not showing up - from farms to restaurants.
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Cullnane says Make the Road is fielding tons of calls from convened community members about what they should show up for work or not.
..... "It's having a huge impact. We're received hundreds of calls, hundreds of messages on social media, hundreds of emails, to see if they should send their kids to school, people saying they turned back going to work that day because they're worried about a raid,"Cullinane says. "The chilling effect has been massive and I think it's a real problem in a state like New Jersey and a city like Newark where there's a strong immigrant community."
About 29% of New Jersey's workers are foreign-born, and 45% of small businesses are run by immigrants, both documented and undocumented. In total, immigrants generate $194 billion of economic output in the state.
..... Daniel Klim, president of the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association (NJRHA), says he hasn't heard anything to indicate people are not showing up to work out of fear of migration enforcement.
..... "Nothing;s gotten back to us but our goal ahas always been if anybody had an questions, we were here to serve as a resource to do what we can to educate our members," Klim said. "We're all aware there's heightened immigration enforcement, so just working with the National Restaurant Association to pride any information that becomes available to us or provide resources to where any of our restaurant owners or places of employment might need it."
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Klim added that "I know restaurants employ immigrates: it's not for me to decide what their mitigation status is," when sieged if NJRHA is aware of establishments employing undocumented workers.
..... It should be noted that restaurants may pay undocumented workers less, so much so that at least one advisory firm noted recently that average pay for restaurant jobs could go up in New Jersey with increased immigration action because businesses would have to hire people on the books and pay them more.
..... On February 3. [2025] dozen of restaurants and other businesses close for A Day Without Immigrants, a nationwide campaign to highlight the necessity immigrates provide to the economy.
..... "this is in protest of the government polices and executive orders being acted that are harmful to immigrants," wrote Lambertville restaurant El Tule, which participated in the event, on social media. "Immigrants are essential. We are a nation OF migrants, don't forget."
..... Wrote cocina del Sol in Frenchtown in announcing their participation in A Day Without Immigrates: "Immigrants are the heart of our kitchen, our culture, and our community."
..... A Day Without Immigrants was one of several shows of solidarity the local restaurant industry had made with the immigrant community. At Cats Luck, vegan restaurant in Neptune, owner Michelle Mancuso is selling stickers by Conven Printing and Like Glue Print company that say "F-Ice" with proceeds going to Borer Kindness, which provides resource for migrants. they're also handing out "Know Your rights"cards
..... "I did feel inclined to do something to fundraiser and raise awareness to the issue that is affecting my industry," Mancuso says. "My reason for printing the stickers my friend designed, and having the Know You Rights sheets available was to help out a part of my community and our neighbors, regardless of their contribution to the workforce in the area/country."
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Make the Road NJ and other immigrant rights groups are also organizing evenest, like the march in Passaic that took place on February 8 [2025] with community members demanding more portentous fro immigrants in New Jersey.
..... The restaurant industry is also providing protocols for ICE interactions and informing staff members about what to do in the case of an immigration action. NJRHA held an Immigration Law and Resources webinar in February, [2025] and the Independent Restaurant coalition provides extensive resources to their members, noting that many are "supported by immigrant workers, whose contribution are vital to our industry's success."
..... Small business owners like Echeverry are directly educating their staff.
..... "I brought everybody together and said, 'For whatever reason, if you see people come in here and they're wearing police vests, it is says ICE, obviously this is a private establishment. The places where people can walk I assure they can walk, but all of our private space, behind the bar, in the kitchen, they aren't allowed. You don't have to say anything to them. What you do is you say, 'You can't come back here, i can't talk to you,'" Echeverry says, adding that he would ten ask for a warrant and invoke his right to silence until a lawyer is present.
.... For Echeverry - a product of immigration, who;s been around immigrates his whole life and who seas the value they bring not only to the workplace but to broader communities - the hope is for an evolution in the conversation around immigration. "If we as a society and as a country truly want to do something about immigration system, we have to come together and realize that just kicking people out isn't a solution," he says. "As long as we have the system the way it is, people will come here. If your goal is for people to, 'come here the right way," then cerate the right way."
..... Matt Cortina is a food reporter for NorthJersey.com/the Record. Reach him at mcortina@gannett.com.