Burritos Puebla\u00a0<\/a>with her mother. She says for months, business was steady \u2014 but that has recently changed.<\/p>\n\u201cYeah, yesterday we only got four people and the whole day we were open from like 10:30 to 8 o\u2019clock and we only got four people,\u201d Cortes said.<\/p>\n
Cortes believes fear surrounding immigration enforcement is driving customers away.<\/p>\n
She says family friends are afraid to leave their homes even to run basic errands, and that fear is affecting small businesses that rely on daily foot traffic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a lot of family friends and they just are scared to go outside and they\u2019re scared to even go to the grocery store, you know, and it really does affect small businesses who depend on those people to come every day to buy maybe one or two tacos, and it\u2019s, it\u2019s just been upsetting to see,\u201d Cortes said.<\/p>\n
She added that the situation feels serious and unsettling.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s scary. It\u2019s not something that should be taken lightly or as a joke,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Cortes says she\u2019s heard of multiple people being detained in Jacksonville over the past couple of weeks and says she personally witnessed one incident.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike I\u2019ve gone through the roads and the other day I saw they grabbed someone and then I came back and the car was being towed,\u201d Cortes said.<\/p>\n
With fewer customers coming by, Cortes says her family\u2019s business is now struggling to stay afloat.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinancially, it\u2019s rough. It really is rough because you know, there\u2019s things that we need to buy, but how do we buy those things if there\u2019s no customers and no money?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Despite the challenges, Cortes says she wants customers to know the food truck is still here to serve the community and is offering options like calling ahead or delivery.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever they need, we\u2019re here for them. We offer delivery services, so if they wanted to call ahead or whatever it is, we can do that. And just stick through it because it\u2019s difficult. What\u2019s happening is very difficult, but I feel like things will get better,\u201d Cortes said.<\/p>\n
First Coast News reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment regarding immigration enforcement activity in Jacksonville and any recent detainments. As of publication, we are still waiting to hear back.<\/p>\n