MESA (AZFamily) — Growing concerns about potential immigration enforcement are affecting Asian community members in Mesa, where the city’s unique partnership with ICE has some residents worried about the future of their cultural gathering places.
Regi Bron remembers rolling spring rolls as a child for family parties, a tradition that connects him to his Filipino heritage at places like Mekong Supermarket. The Asian market offers dozens of foods from across the continent and serves as a cultural hub for the community.
Bron, a first-generation American whose parents immigrated from the Philippines, said the store makes him nostalgic for his travels to Asia. But he has grown worried about what could happen at cultural centers like Mekong Supermarket.
Mesa is the third largest city in Arizona and the only municipality in the state with a contract agreement with ICE.
“I am worried. I believe it’s a real concern,” Bron said.
Bron and others worry that centers like Mekong Supermarket could become targets for immigration raids.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know how it’s going to happen. And you know being a soft target is not normally good,” he said.
Across the United States, cultural markets in Los Angeles and Las Vegas have turned into ghost towns due to growing fear that raids may break out in those places. Some worry that may become the new narrative in Mesa.
A Mesa spokesperson said the partnership with ICE has been ongoing since 2009. The city said the purpose of the agreement is to focus on people already in custody for criminal offenses, not just immigration violations alone. The city said it is committed to keeping community members and visitors safe.
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