Immigration enforcement's impact on the food industry

CityLine: Immigration enforcement’s impact on the food industry

Food for thought with your dining exeperience

I’M KAREN HOLMES WARD. WELCOME TO CITYLINE IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT AGENTS ARE CONTINUING TO TARGET IMMIGRANTS, BOTH UNDOCUMENTED AND THOSE WHO HAVE WORK PERMITS. AND THAT’S IMPACTING LOCAL RESTAURANTS WHERE MANY OF BOSTON’S IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY EARN A LIVING AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY. PAUL DOUMA, THE LONGTIME OPERATIONS MANAGER OF THE POPULAR WEST AFRICAN RESTAURANT SUYA JOINT IN ROXBURY, HAS BEEN DETAINED SINCE JUNE. AT HIS LATEST HEARING, A JUDGE DENIED HIS BOND. HE NOW MUST WAIT UNTIL THE END OF SEPTEMBER FOR AN ASYLUM HEARING. IT HASN’T BEEN APPROVED, NOR HAS IT BEEN DENIED. HE IS DETAINED FOR NOT BEING LEGAL IN THE COUNTRY YET HIS ASYLUM CASE IS PENDING. HIS SISTER CECILIA IS THE OWNER OF THE RESTAURANT. SHE SAYS IF ICE REFUSES TO RELEASE HIM WHILE HIS CASE IS PENDING, SHE MAY BE FORCED TO SHUT DOWN THE RESTAURANT. PAUL’S FAMILY SET UP A GOFUNDME PAGE. IT’S ALREADY RAISED MORE THAN $48,000 TO COVER HIS ATTORNEY’S FEES. AND SO YOU JOIN US? NOT ALONE. A RESTAURANT IN CENTRAL SQUARE WAS REPORTEDLY TARGETED, CAMBRIDGE DAY REPORTED THAT THE RESTAURANT, WHOSE OWNER DID NOT WANT TO BE NAMED, LOST FOUR CHEFS WITHIN DAYS TO ICE DETENTION SEVERAL WEEKS AGO. ONE DETAINED CHEF HAD WORKED AT THE CENTRAL SQUARE RESTAURANT FOR 22 YEARS AND ANOTHER FOR 16 YEARS. WELL, JOINING US NOW IS SETH GERBER. HE’S A BOARD MEMBER OF MASS RESTAURANTS UNITED AND CO-OWNER OF THE RESTAURANTS AND NATALIE LIQUEUR, THE OWNER OF GOURMET CREOLE HAITIAN FOOD AND TRUCK RESTAURANTS. SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU BOTH HERE TODAY TO TALK WITH US ABOUT THIS. SO, SETH, THE US CENTER FOR MIGRATION STUDIES ESTIMATES THAT THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 1 MILLION UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS WORKING IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN HEARING FROM YOUR MEMBERS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE ADMINISTRATION’S IMMIGRATION POLICY? YEAH, I MEAN, PEOPLE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS IS ENORMOUS, RIGHT? WE EMPLOY MORE THAN 15 MILLION PEOPLE, AND WE ARE A $1.4 TRILLION INDUSTRY. AND EVEN AT A LOCAL LEVEL, RIGHT. YOU’RE STARTING TO SEE MORE AND MORE CONVERSATION AROUND THINGS REGARDING CALL OUTS OR LAST MINUTE. NO SHOWS. PEOPLE THAT ARE WORRIED ABOUT TRAVELING OUTSIDE OF THEIR HOMES. PEOPLE ARE HAVING TROUBLE FILLING POSITIONS. SO THERE’S A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ISSUES THAT ARE IMPACTING RESTAURANTS. AND THERE’S TWO PARTS OF THE CONVERSATION. THERE’S ONE PART THAT’S THE MEASURABLE, QUANTIFIABLE IMPACT, WHICH IS SLOW THING THAT’S BUILDING OVER TIME. AS WE SEE THESE DETENTIONS MONTH OVER MONTH. BUT THEN THERE’S ALSO JUST THE ANXIETY AND THE FEAR AND THE UNCERTAINTY OF WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. AND THAT’S MORE OF WHAT WE’RE DEALING WITH. SO HAVE YOU HEARD? I ASSUME YOU HAVE FROM RESTAURANT OWNERS WHO HAVE EMPLOYEES WHO ARE AFRAID TO COME TO WORK OR WHO HAVE GIVEN UP, MAYBE, AND LEFT THE UNITED STATES? YEAH. I MEAN, IT’S HARD FOR ME TO SPEAK TO PEOPLE THAT HAVE GIVEN UP. I KNOW THAT THERE ARE EXAMPLES OF THAT, AND IT’S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT’S HAPPENING. THERE ARE A LOT MORE CASES THAT I’VE SEEN AND HAVE BEEN REPORTED WHERE INDIVIDUALS FEEL LIKE THEY’RE UNSAFE TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES, THEY DON’T WANT TO TRY TO TRAVEL AND TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TO GO TO WORK. SO IT AFFECTS THEIR ROUTINES, AND THAT GREATLY AFFECTS THE, YOU KNOW, THE OPERATIONS OF ANY RESTAURANT. SURE. NATALIE, WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD FROM YOUR FELLOW EMPLOYEES AND OTHER RESTAURANT OWNERS? WELL, DEFINITELY CALL OUTS. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THESE, YOU KNOW, MIGRANTS, IMMIGRANTS, THEY HAVE A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITIES. SO SOME OF THEM, MOST OF THEM WILL TAKE THAT RISK TO GET TO WORK. SO BECAUSE THEY HAVE PEOPLE TO FEED BACK HOME AS WELL. SO AT THE RESTAURANTS RELY ON THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY. WHAT HAPPENS IF THOSE WORKERS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE? WHO’S GOING TO FILL THE JOBS? IT’S TOUGH TO SAY. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE WE HAVEN’T REALLY SEEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN RECENT MEMORY. AND RIGHT NOW, ALTHOUGH THE MEASURABLE DETENTIONS SPECIFIC TO RESTAURANT WORKERS ISN’T NECESSARILY A HUGE PERCENTAGE, IT’S MOVING IN A POSITIVE, WHICH IS NOT A GREAT THING. IT’S MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION. SO, YOU KNOW, I WOULDN’T BE SURPRISED TO SEE WAGES COME UP. YOU KNOW, IF THERE’S AN IMBALANCE BETWEEN SUPPLY AND DEMAND FOR JOBS, THERE’S ALREADY A MILLION UNFILLED JOBS IN FOOD AND BEVERAGE ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND MAKING IT HARDER TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS IS GOING TO PUSH WAGES UP, WHICH IN ITSELF IS NOT A BAD THING. BUT THE THE RESTAURANTS ADJUST BY INCREASING MENU PRICES. SO I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE INFLATIONARY AND IT’S GOING TO IMPACT THE LEVEL OF SERVICE OR THE NUMBER OF SERVICES, OR MAYBE EVEN THE LENGTH OF MEAL PERIODS. THERE’S A LOT OF RESTAURANTS THAT USED TO BE OVERNIGHT THAT ARE NOW CLOSING EARLIER. SO THINGS OF THAT NATURE, AS PEOPLE TRY TO REBALANCE AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO RUN THEIR ESTABLISHMENTS. SO, NATALIE, YOU STARTED YOUR BUSINESS IN 2021 AS A FOOD TRUCK, AND THEN YOUR BUSINESS GREW. WHEN YOU WERE HIRED TO PROVIDE CULTURALLY RELEVANT MEALS TO MIGRANTS IN THE STATE’S SHELTER SYSTEM, YOU WERE THEN ALSO ABLE TO HIRE FROM THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT THE THAT ASPECT OF YOUR BUSINESS. SO HOW IS YOUR BUSINESS BEING IMPACTED BY THIS INCREASED IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT? WELL, MY BUSINESS IS BEING IMPACTED BY, YOU KNOW, MY EMPLOYEES BASICALLY ARE AFRAID TO COME TO WORK, BUT WE ARE ALSO WHAT WE’RE DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS STABLE AND COMFORTABLE IS THAT WE HAVE HIRED A NONPROFIT AGENCY TO SPONSOR OUR EMPLOYEES TO GET THEIR GREEN CARD. I AM NOTICING BECAUSE OF A LOT OF BUSINESSES HAVING TO CLOSE, BECAUSE OF THE MIGRANTS NOT COMING. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE COMING INTO OUR, YOU KNOW, RESTAURANT ASKING FOR EMPLOYMENT. AND UNFORTUNATELY, I CAN’T HELP THEM BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, THEIR IMPROPER STATUS. THAT WAS, IN FACT, MY NEXT QUESTION, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT BOTH DOCUMENTED WORKERS AND UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM. AND I WAS JUST WONDERING, WHAT ARE YOU ADVISING YOUR EMPLOYEES TO DO? WELL, WHEN I STARTED DETAINING PEOPLE HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS, WE WENT AHEAD AND HIRED AN ATTORNEY TO COME IN AND TALK TO EVERYBODY AND EXPLAIN TO THEM THEIR RIGHTS. SO, YOU KNOW, IF ICE WAS COMING, YOU KNOW, TO THEM THAT THEY WERE BEING PRESENTED WITH THE PROPER DOCUMENTATION. IF THEY DID HAVE TO GO. SO THAT’S THE MEASURES THAT WE TOOK. NOW, SETH, WHAT ARE YOU ABLE TO DO AS A RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION TO, TO ADVOCATE OR PROTECT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE WORKING WITH YOU? SO THE BIGGEST THING WE’RE FOCUSED ON RIGHT NOW IS JUST TRYING TO CONNECT RESTAURATEURS, MANAGERS, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY HOURLY. AND, YOU KNOW, LINE LEVEL EMPLOYEES IN THE BUSINESS WITH THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED. SOMETIMES IT’S HARD TO GET ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. AND IF YOU DON’T HAVE A THOUGHTFUL RESTAURANT OWNER THAT’S BRINGING IN AN ATTORNEY OR HELPING TO NAVIGATE THIS, YOU’RE NOT SURE WHERE TO GO. SO THINGS YOU KNOW, LIKE PROVIDING A WEBINAR. WE JUST DID A WEBINAR WITH A COMPANY CALLED HOP DOV. THEY’RE AN AMAZING HUMAN RESOURCES ADVISORY FIRM ABOUT I-9 VERIFICATIONS, WHAT THE RIGHTS ARE FOR BUSINESS OWNERS JUST NAVIGATING THE HR CHALLENGES, LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER OR NOT THERE’S LOCAL NONPROFITS THAT ARE OFFERING LOW BONO OR PRO BONO LEGAL WORK. SO TRYING TO CONNECT THE DOTS AND HELP PROVIDE AS MANY RESOURCES AND JUST ALSO BE THERE TO DIFFUSE ANXIETY AND JUST BE A VOICE. NOW, NATALIE, YOU’RE BOTH A BUSINESS OWNER AND PART OF THE HAITIAN COMMUNITY THAT’S BEEN HEAVILY IMPACTED BY IMMIGRATION POLICIES. I’M ASSUMING THIS MUST BE ALSO VERY PERSONAL TO YOU ON A DIFFERENT LEVEL. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT CUSTOMERS IN THE GREATER BOSTON COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN YOUR COMMUNITY? SURE, DEFINITELY. WELL, WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IS A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE BEING PUSHED OUT, AND ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS ABOUT THE CITY OF BOSTON IS ALL OF THE INTERNATIONAL FOOD THAT WE HAVE HERE. AND OF COURSE, YOU CAN TRAIN SOMEONE THAT DOESN’T COME, YOU KNOW, FROM THESE BACKGROUNDS TO DO THE FOOD, BUT IT’S NOT AS EASY AS PEOPLE THINK FOR IT TO SEEM. SO IT’S SUPER IMPORTANT FOR US TO KEEP MIGRANTS, IMMIGRANTS HERE. SO BOSTON COULD CONTINUE TO SERVE THIS DIVERSE COMMUNITY. OF ALL OF THE FOOD THAT THEY LOVE. ALL RIGHT. AND SOME EXCITING THINGS ARE HAPPENING FOR YOU IN THE COMING MONTHS. THINGS ARE MOVING FORWARD. YOU ARE GOING TO OPEN YOUR FIRST DINING IN ESTABLISHMENT GOURMET CREOLE IN THE NEXT COMING MONTHS. SO YES, CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

CityLine: Immigration enforcement’s impact on the food industry

Food for thought with your dining exeperience

Updated: 12:32 PM EDT Jul 27, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

This week on CityLine, food from around Boston and around the world. Dining in Boston is influenced by global flavors and an immigrant workforce. Paul Dama, the longtime operations manager of the popular West African restaurant Suya Joint in Roxbury has been detained by ICE since June and is awaiting an asylum hearing. Seth Gerber, a board member of Mass Restaurants United and co-owner of the MIDA restaurants and Nathalie LeCorps, the owner of Gourmet Kreyol share the fears of restaurant employees and the consequences that losing an immigrant workforce will have on the local economy.

NEEDHAM, Mass. —