The streets of cities southeast of Los Angeles, including Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy, Lynwood, Maywood and South Gate, are empty of people.

Businesses of all kinds are also empty: from beauty salons, clinics dentists, restaurants, pizzerias, convenience stores, and even gas stations.

These cities appear to be ghost towns. It's the new reality everyone is adapting to.

The continued violent actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and their Border Patrol (CBP) counterparts have created a climate of terror and paralysis, and have significantly impacted the lives of immigrants.

"The fear is visible and evident," said Bell City Councilwoman Ana María Quintana, attorney. “The streets are less crowded and there’s a lot less activity.”

While traditional summer activities haven’t been canceled in the city, participation is low to nonexistent.

In fact, only 50 people attended the annual music concerts scheduled for August last week, Councilwoman Quintana reported.

The normal attendance was 1,200 because they were held in Veterans Park, and now the events are being held next to City Hall on Pine Street.

“People are afraid to go out,” said Bell resident Maria Herrera, who attended the Cold Duck concert with her daughter Camila and her brother, Jesus Zazueta.

La “migra” in Bell

Bell and neighboring Maywood were the scene of chaos and angry protests following the June 21 raid by federal agents.

The situation turned aggressive after the hooded officers fired tear gas.

The alleged federal agents' SUVs were vandalized with broken glass and flat tires between Slauson and Alamo avenues.A protest had intensified on Atlantic Avenue in the city of Bell.

“I don't have much education, but I see that what is happening is very bad,” said Felisa Palma, originally from Puebla, Mexico, a resident of Bell. “They’re arresting people by the color of their skin.”

“It’s very sad that they’re separating families. I’m afraid for my children, who, even though they’re citizens, can also be detained by these people [immigration],” she added.

She agreed with Leticia Lara, a U.S. citizen and employee of J Core Plus, a women’s clothing and shoe store located in Bell Palm Plaza.

“I’m not afraid of the raids, and even though I’m a U.S.-born citizen, I carry my Real ID with me,” Leticia said. “Many people are afraid to go out, and many of us are trying to survive financially.”

Indeed, Leticia and other colleagues have had their work hours cut.

“I have to balance the low profits with the loss of income,” said Joyce, the owner of the business who has seen a 25% reduction in customers in recent weeks.

Joyce said she understands why people don’t want to go out to shop.

“It’s tremendous what happens to all the families who have lived in the United States for many years and they want to deport them,” she explained.

At “El Zunzal Pupusería,” located at 6634 Eastern Avenue, manager Alejandro Rodríguez noticed that regular customers are staying home.

“People are afraid,” he said. “We’ve already lost 60% of our customers.”

“Panic Strategy”

And while ordinary people and business owners are trying to adapt to the new reality, Darrel Sauceda, president of the Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce (LALCC) stated that they are concerned about the strategy of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in carrying out raids in Latino business communities.

He mentioned that “LALCC understands that the element of surprise [for raids] is vital to achieving the goal [of arresting people].”

“As a result of current tactics, ICE is weakening public safety,damaging business confidence and threatening the region’s business recovery at a critical time,” said Sauceda, who acknowledged that Latino workers, families, and business owners are the backbone of Los Angeles’ economy.

“Disrupting their lives with these raids not only creates hardship, but weakens the city’s economic resilience and threatens the recovery we’ve worked hard to achieve after COVID-19,” he added.

Therefore, he urged elected leaders to consider the broader implications of their decisions.

“By not collaborating to address immigration policy, they are missing an opportunity to create a process that can be managed with compassion, order, and respect, rather than [enforced] with force and fear.”

142,000 immigrants have been deported

Official data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) organization indicates that between January 20 and By April 2025, 142,000 people were deported from the United States, although the legal status of at least 245 Venezuelans and about 30 Salvadorans who were expelled to the Central American nation and locked up in the mega-prison called the Center for Confinement Against Terrorism (CECOT) has not been clarified. In addition, through May 2025, the Immigration Courts had recorded 401,661 new cases so far in fiscal year 2025. This compares to the 605,311 cases the court processed during this period in the previous fiscal cycle. "The way they're treating people is not right," criticized Jorge Gutiérrez, owner of a construction company doing work for the city of Bell. "They should go after the employers, because if there is no work, there is no migration and there is no exploitation of people."