Campaign aims to boost Eastland area businesses seeing fewer customers after CBP operation

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Businesses on Charlotte’s east side say they have been seeing fewer customers since Border Patrol’s immigration enforcement crackdown.

At La Morenita Bakery on North Sharon Amity Road the owner Rey Hernandez says he only saw two customers Monday.

“There is no necessity to have employees, unfortunately,” Hernandez said. “You know, everybody’s afraid as well to work, to basically to work and also to come in and spend money.”

Business is slow across the east side since Operation Charlotte’s Web came to town on November 15th. Federal officials say Border Patrol agents have arrested more than 425 immigrants in the ongoing operation.

“ICE is supposed to be getting the bad people, they’re coming to our businesses, they’re going to work sites. How is that? We’re bad people if we’re actually working and actually, you know, trying to make a living,” Hernandez said.

CharlotteEAST has been promoting east side businesses since 2003. It has launched Fuerza Del Este which translates to strength of the east to help pump money back into these businesses. If you spend $25 dollars at any participating Eastland area business, you’ll get another $50 on a gift card to spend at another business, spending $50 gets you a $100 gift card.

“There’s enough wealth in this city to be able to support our small businesses, and we hope that this initiative will do a little bit of marketing to let folks know about the assets that exist, but also encourage other players to step up to the plate,” Greg Ascuitto, Executive Director CharlotteEAST said.

CharlotteEAST estimates half of small businesses closed for at least a day because of Border Patrol resulting in a daily revenue loss of $2,500.

“These are American citizens owning these businesses, employing American citizens that are that are impacted. Right. It was very indiscriminate impact in terms of how that operation really just disrupted our small business ecosystem,” Greg Ascuitto, CharlotteEAST Executive Director said.

Hernandez says he’s excited to see the impact of the campaign.

“We’re going to keep open. We’re going to keep fighting. You know, we’re actually we’re not giving up,” Hernandez said.

Fuerza Del Este is running from now until December 31st or until the $15,000 budget runs out. CharlotteEAST plans to roll out several other initiatives to keep supporting businesses early next year.