|
It’s morning, and the corner of Fourth and Bush streets in downtown Santa Ana, where José Rodríguez has stood with his fruit cart for the past 35 years, sits empty.
On June 10, the local frutero, who goes by “Mr. Diablito” on Instagram, announced his absence “hasta nuevo aviso” (until further notice) in a post. That day, President Donald Trump had sent the National Guard to Los Angeles and Santa Ana to post up in front of federal buildings in the wake of protests against immigration raids across Southern California.
In Los Angeles, the blockade happened in buildings far away from commercial districts. In Santa Ana, it was in front of the Reagan Federal Building located on Fourth Street, the historic heart of Latinos in Orange County.
“It’s terrible – they’re separating families and persecuting us for the color of our skin,” Rodríguez said. He’s a green card holder and a permanent resident. “I made the decision to not come out due to sadness and fear that they would come and arrest me. They are not asking people for their identification. They just grab you and take you.”
Community members began to flood the vendor's DM’s in response to Rodríguez’s Instagram post with words of support and reaching out for ways to help.
| 
