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Walking into La Fruta Loca, you’re greeted by rows of large stuffed bears lining the windows of the Central Falls frutería and ice cream shop. I stopped by on a recent weekday afternoon, to talk with the shop’s owner, 51-year-old Lorena Vicente. Originally from Guatemala, now a U.S. citizen, she has lived in Central Falls for nearly 30 years. Vicente says that, while winter is typically slow, over the last few weeks business has been especially scarce.
“At the moment, what is really hurting us is everything that’s happening in terms of immigration. People are scared, people don’t want to go out, they’re staying locked up inside,” Vicente said. “Right now the weather is pretty nice, and in the past you’d see a lot more people out and about. There are usually a lot of people walking up and down Dexter.”
Since his inauguration in January, the Trump administration has signed several executive orders that have radically reshaped immigration policy, including expanding the scope of who can be arrested, detained and deported by federal officers, ending many temporary status programs from the Biden era.
These changes are creating an atmosphere of fear and anxiety in the majority-Latino city of Central Falls, where an estimated 69% of the city’s immigrant population does not have legal status. Mayor Maria Rivera addressed the issue in a Facebook post in late January, urging the community to support local businesses, and saying “it saddens me to see them so empty.”
Vicente says the immigrant community of Central Falls is tightly-knit – so when there are rumors or sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, it spreads like wildfire. She said some community members without legal status are paying others to go outside to get food or to do chores for them. And as The Public’s Radio reported last month, some parents in the region are taking their kids out of school for fear that they may be apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement either at school, or on the way to and from their schools.
Several other business owners in Central Falls said they, too, are seeing fewer customers, due to rumors of ICE activity. Cultura Mixta is another restaurant on the same block as La Fruta Loca.
“You might see more business on the weekends, Saturday and Sunday, but it’s just not the same,” said Olga Saucedo, chef and owner of Cultura Mixta, which opened in 2024 and serves a mix of American, Brazilian, and Mexican food, as well as sushi.
“Again, if before you would make $2,000-$2,500, let’s say, on a Saturday, now you’ll only make $400,” she said. “And lately, in these last few weeks, we’ve been making about $200 on a Saturday, and $300 on a Sunday.”
Saucedo is a U.S. citizen originally from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and she’s lived in Central Falls since she was 14 years old. She graduated from Johnson and Wales’ culinary arts school in 2022, and says the drop in business hits her not just financially, but cuts to her core as a chef.
“This is my passion. I love to cook. I love to make food, to create dishes for people. I love to see the satisfaction in people,” Saucedo said. “You can’t even add or remove things from the menu right now because of how expensive it is to buy products. The prices are extremely high.”
The impact of Trump’s immigration policies and the fear they’ve created in immigrant communities is especially acute in a place like Central Falls – a small city with a large Latino immigrant population. But Oscar Mejias, founder and CEO of Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, says this trend is appearing all over the state – and if things don’t change soon, some businesses may need to close up shop.
“Small businesses across the board have been reflecting the impact in reduction of clients, customers, a decrease of the workers,” Mejias said, adding that rising costs and inflation are negatively impacting local Latino-run businesses, as well.
He said his office is also hearing reports that some people without legal status aren’t going to work. “The same fear that a customer can feel is the same that a worker is feeling,” Mejias said.
Despite these issues, Lorena Vicente said she has no plans to close La Fruta Loca.
“May we have faith in God, have peace and patience, and may the poor people who are going through this type of situation know how to defend themselves, know their rights, and ask questions,” Vicente said, gesturing towards a stack of “red cards” she got from city hall, with information about civil rights protections, and how to prepare and defend oneself if they encounter ICE.
For more information about what to do if you encounter or are detained by federal agents, go to riaclu.org/know-your-rights.
Do you have questions or concerns about immigration enforcement in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts schools? Reach out to The Public’s Radio community engagement reporter Paul C. Kelly Campos at pkelly@thepublicsradio.org. We will not publish any personal information you share without your permission, but your perspective will help us better inform on this matter.
