{"id":358784,"date":"2025-11-06T02:17:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T02:17:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/358784\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T02:17:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T02:17:17","slug":"houston-bakery-owner-says-fear-of-immigration-raids-has-emptied-his-shop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/358784\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston bakery owner says fear of immigration raids has emptied his shop"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON<\/strong> \u2013 In the heart of Denver Harbor, a small bakery that\u2019s been open for 55 years is fighting to stay alive. Owner Rene Porras, a Vietnam veteran, says fear of immigration raids has driven away the customers who once filled his tables.<\/p>\n

E<\/b>N ESPANOL: <\/b>Due\u00f1o de panader\u00eda en Houston dice que el miedo a redadas migratorias ha vaciado su negocio<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

A family business with deep roots<\/b><\/p>\n

Porras\u2019 family opened the bakery in the late 1960s, when the neighborhood was beginning to change from Anglo to Mexican American. His father, a Navy veteran and migrant farmworker, started out running a body and paint shop on the same property. While Rene served in Vietnam, his mother began selling tacos and pan dulce through a small window.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came home, my mom was selling tacos and bread out of a little window right here,\u201d Porras said. \u201cAs far as I know, we were the first place in this neighborhood. There weren\u2019t many Mexican bakeries in Houston back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

The business grew into a community hub. For decades, the bakery served construction workers, families, and neighbors heading to work before dawn.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t come in here because the place looks good,\u201d he said. \u201cThey come in for the food and the companionship.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019re down 30 percent\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

Now, the sound of pans and chatter that once filled the kitchen is gone. Porras says sales have dropped sharply in recent months, and he blames fear tied to immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince all these immigration raids, we\u2019re down 25 to 30 percent,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery restaurant I talk to is changing their hours, opening later, closing earlier. The East End is struggling right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says he\u2019s heard stories from customers about unmarked vehicles showing up near parks and businesses. \u201cThey\u2019ll come in masks, pick up whoever, and disappear just as quickly,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s got people scared.\u201d<\/p>\n

A veteran still serving his community<\/b><\/p>\n

Porras, now in his seventies, says he\u2019s no stranger to hardship. He served in Vietnam before taking over the family bakery, then spent decades working seven days a week.<\/p>\n

He and his wife now do everything themselves\u2014baking, cleaning, managing the books\u2014to save on payroll. Rising costs for meat, eggs, and insurance have added to the pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just working harder for less,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I know it\u2019ll get better. People are tired of being afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges, he\u2019s adamant about keeping the bakery open.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tell them, don\u2019t be scared. Come on in,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re in my store and they want to pick you up, they\u2019re going to have to have a warrant with your name on it. I\u2019m a Vietnam veteran. I bled for this country. They better not ask me if I\u2019m a citizen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Customers worry about what\u2019s next<\/b><\/p>\n

Regular customer Liz Aguirre grew up in the area and still drives from Jersey Village to visit her parents and stop by the bakery. She says it feels like coming home.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt connects me with memories from when I was growing up,\u201d Aguirre said. \u201cWhen I come, I bring someone new and introduce them to a little piece of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She says she\u2019s noticed fewer people visiting and understands the fear that\u2019s keeping families inside. \u201cI can see how it could affect businesses negatively,\u201d she said. \u201cIf this place closed, it would hurt. It\u2019s been here all my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

A community under pressure<\/b><\/p>\n

Porras says he\u2019s seen Denver Harbor transform through generations of change\u2014first from Anglo to Mexican American, then to a mix of Latino communities from across Central and South America. He calls the recent decline something new: \u201ca quiet fear\u201d that\u2019s changing everyday life.<\/p>\n

He believes the bakery represents more than bread and coffee. It\u2019s about what a neighborhood stands to lose when fear replaces routine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll keep baking until I can\u2019t,\u201d he said. \u201cThis place is part of Houston. It\u2019s who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 In the heart of Denver Harbor, a small bakery that\u2019s been open for 55 years is…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":358785,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[4345,5410,409,425,50,358,3187],"class_list":{"0":"post-358784","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-houston","9":"tag-ice","10":"tag-immigration","11":"tag-local","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-texas","14":"tag-tx"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115500354472922418","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/358785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}