A woman at Party Planet Supplies on August 25, 2025, buying streamers for an event.
Photo by Andrew Lopez, Boyle Heights Beat
This article was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat, a nonprofit newsroom of the L.A. Local News Initiative serving Boyle Heights and East L.A.
When Mariana Ramirez earned her PhD this summer, she planned to celebrate with friends and family in City Terrace. But just weeks before the party, ICE raids swept across Los Angeles, sparking fear throughout communities.
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“I just didn’t feel it was the right moment to celebrate,” she said. “There was so much violence going on outside and attacks against my community.”
Ramirez canceled the event, joining a number of families who have had to do the same.
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Across Boyle Heights and East L.A. families have scaled back or scrapped celebrations altogether out of fear that masked immigration agents will descend on their homes. Local party supply businesses, from jumper rentals to piñata makers, say they’re losing thousands as a result.
Changes in partygoer behavior
For brick-and-mortar party supply and gear rental stores, even ones that have been around for decades, business has dramatically dropped.
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