A Santa Ana couple is stepping in to help local, undocumented street vendors afraid of ICE raids
Marisol Magaña and Andrew Roa have taken over carts that sell shaved ice, corn on the cob, and other snacks. They have also bought out a person selling flowers.
The couple told KNX News’ Nataly Tavidian it started when they saw the fear from one street vendor.
“She passed by my mom's house. She was selling, and I stopped her and I spoke to her,” Marisol recalled. “She told me that she hadn't come out in like two weeks, but she came out today because, you know, bills don't stop. Even though she was afraid, she still did it, and that made me feel for her, so I wanted to help her.”
Andrew said they wanted to help out the community.
“Besides the protest, we just felt like we had to go out there and actually help our community like the best way we could with funds and with getting them off the street and just, you know, helping the right people,” he said. “Because, you know, everyone's painting that everybody's a criminal, and a lot of these people are just here. [They’re] hardworking people that want a better life for their children.”
@MarisolMaganaa/IG
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“ I can’t just protest,” Marisol said. “I have to do something to help them in some way.”
The couple is sharing their journey on Marisol’s Instagram page and say the response they’ve received is mixed.
“We get a lot of good responses, but every now and then on social media, there are people that just spread hate and tell us, ‘well, go back to Mexico,’ when we're from here and that all these people are criminals and they hope they all get deported,” Andrew said. “It's just very nasty to see what some people are saying online.”
The couple also has a GoFundMe where they are raising money to help vendors and other workers impacted by the ICE raids. You can check it out here.
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