Texas county that swung to Trump grapples with immigration crackdown after bakery is targeted

LOS FRESNOS, Texas (AP) — Leonardo Baez and Nora Avila-Guel's bakery successful the Texas assemblage of Los Fresnos is simply a regular halt for galore residents to stock gossip implicit java and prime up cakes and pastries for birthdays, bureau parties oregon themselves.

When Homeland Security Investigations agents showed up astatine Abby’s Bakery successful February and arrested the owners and 8 employees, residents of Los Fresnos were shocked. Abby's Bakery doesn't employment convulsive criminals and Baez and Avila-Guel are not the radical who borderline czar Tom Homan calls the “worst of the worst” and says are the precedence for wide deportations.

“I was amazed due to the fact that I cognize that they’re not taking vantage of the people,” Esteban Rodriguez, 43, said aft pulling into the bakery’s parking batch to observe it was closed. “It was much similar helping retired people. They didn’t person obscurity to go, alternatively of them being connected the streets.”

The absorption successful the municipality of 8,500 residents whitethorn amusement the limits of enactment for President Donald Trump’s migration crackdown successful a bulk Hispanic portion dotted with fields of cotton, sugarcane and reddish grapefruit wherever Republicans made gains successful past year's elections. Cameron County voted for a GOP president for the archetypal clip since 2004. For neighboring Starr County, it was the archetypal clip since 1896.

Now, Baez and Avila-Guel, a Mexican mates who are ineligible U.S. imperishable residents, could suffer everything aft being accused of concealing and harboring immigrants who were successful the U.S. illegally. It's a uncommon lawsuit successful which concern owners look transgression charges alternatively than conscionable a fine.

Los Fresnos, which is 90% Latino and counts the schoolhouse territory arsenic its largest employer, is astir a half-hour thrust from the U.S.-Mexico border. Hundreds of schoolhouse autobus drivers, painters, retirees and parishioners from the adjacent Catholic religion travel into Abby’s Bakery each day. Customers with metallic trays and tongs prime pastries from glass-door cabinets.

The owners had greenish cards but employees did not

Six of Abby's 8 employees were successful the U.S. connected visitant visas but nary had enactment permits erstwhile Homeland Security Investigations agents came to the concern Feb. 12. The owners acknowledged they knew that, according to a national complaint.

Employees lived successful a country with six beds and shared 2 bathrooms successful the aforesaid gathering arsenic the bakery, according to an agent's affidavit.

Baez, 55, and Avila-Guel, 46, person pleaded not guilty. They referred questions to their attorneys, who noted the workers were not held against their volition and determination was nary effort to fell their presence, arsenic a smuggler would.

As greenish paper holders, the mates could beryllium deported if they are convicted. They person 5 children who are U.S. citizens.

The bakery closed for respective days aft their arrest, drafting astir 20 radical to protestation connected an uncharacteristically chilly evening.

Monsignor Pedro Briseño of St. Cecilia Church often visited earlier aboriginal greeting Mass for the campechana, a flaky, crunchy pastry dough layered with caramelized sugar. His regular was interrupted erstwhile plainclothes migration agents arrived successful unmarked vehicles.

“A pistillate came present crying. She said, ‘Father, Father, they’re taking my brother,’” Briseño said. The clergyman walked implicit and saw agents usage zip ties to hindrance employees' hands.

Support for deportations has limits

There is overwhelming bipartisan enactment to deport radical who are successful the U.S. illegally and person been convicted of a convulsive crime, with 82% successful favor, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research canvass successful January. Support softens considerably for deportations of each radical successful the state illegally, with 43% successful favour and 37% opposed.

Trump and apical aides repeatedly stress they are deporting criminals. But, arsenic Homan often says, others successful the state illegally who are determination erstwhile officers apprehension criminals besides volition beryllium deported, a departure from the Biden administration's practices.

So far, Trump has avoided the large-scale mill and bureau raids that characterized his archetypal word and that of Republican President George W. Bush. Scattered reports of smaller operations included the caller arrests of 37 radical astatine a roofing concern successful bluish Washington state.

ICE says it made 32,809 arrests successful Trump's archetypal 50 days successful office, oregon a regular mean of 656, which compared with a regular mean of 311 during a 12-month play ending Sept. 30. ICE said astir fractional (14,111) were convicted criminals and astir one-third (9,980) had pending transgression charges but did not specify the charges.

People with heavy ties successful their communities and nary transgression records thin to make much sympathy.

The bakery is simply a Los Fresnos staple

Abby's reopened aft the owners were released connected bond.

Chela and Alicia Vega, 2 sisters successful their 60s who retired from the schoolhouse territory and person known the bakery owners for years, were among the customers filling trays with pastries. Chela Vega said the mates erstwhile took a week disconnected from enactment to thrust them to San Luis Potosi successful Mexico aft their sister died. When a hurricane struck, Leonardo Baez chopped down their damaged trees without charge.

For Terri Sponsler, 61, buying astatine Abby’s is present a governmental statement. “With everything going connected close present successful our country, we request to find ways to protest,” she said.

Mark W. Milum, the Los Fresnos metropolis manager, said Abby’s is an important concern that contributes spot and income taxation gross to the $13 cardinal yearly municipal budget.

Some customers conscionable emotion the products.

“Other bakeries, they popular up, right?" said Ruth Zamora, 65. "But erstwhile you spell there, it’s not the same."