Jose Medina, 35, father of 4, had just started selling tamales at 8 am at a 7-Eleven in San Pedro when he was arrested by immigration authorities.

Security cameras and a pedestrian recorded the moment when three agents handcuffed Medina and put him in a van, while another moved the tamale cart to the side.

“Because the phone number is on the cart, the same people from the 7-Eleven called my aunt to let her know they had taken my uncle,” said Eduardo, Medina's nephew, who also sells tamales.

Medina's family consists of eight relatives who sell tamales throughout San Pedro. Each one has their own business, and their sales support their families.

“The situation is terrible,” said Eduardo. “We're scared because you're always outside looking in all directions, all restless.”

That Wednesday, October 8, apart from figuring out where their uncle was, they also had to figure out what to do with the 60 dozen tamales they had to sell among the eight families.

Eduardo and his families had already posted on social media that they wouldn't be able to go out and sell tamales because of what had happened, so they were placing orders for people to come to their homes to pick them up.

When artist Ruben Ochoa and his girlfriend Cam La learned that Eduardo's uncle had been detained by immigration, they immediately felt the need to do something to support the families.

Ochoa is the art designer of the hot food carts that the organization Revolution Carts gives away to street vendors, which is why he stays in touch with some of the vendors.

“When I spoke with Eduardo, I found out that his uncle was stopped,” Ochoa explained. “He told me the whole family was at home and that they weren't going out to sell tamales that day out of fear.”

It was at this point that Ochoa and his girlfriend Cam La began calling all their contacts to sell the 720 tamales the families had prepared for the day's sale.

Ochoa began calling his contacts and organizations that knew him,while his partner Cam La connected to the school's 'ICE Alert' WhatsApp group to inform parents about the situation and offer tamales.

As soon as orders began coming in, Ochoa began delivering them to cities like Inglewood, West Los Angeles, Culver City, Venice, and Westwood.

Janny Kum of Venice was one of the people who ordered a dozen tamales and paid $100 for them. The resident was upset and saddened by what happened to the tamale vendor.

“These people are not criminals. They are hardworking people who hope to provide a better life for their children, just like my parents when we arrived in the United States 40 years ago,” Kum said.

“In the Broadway community, there are families with big hearts. It's important that we all help in any way we can because that's what makes us human,” she added.

By the end of Wednesday, 27 dozen tamales had already been sold, but in the following days, and with the efforts of several community members, the 720 tamales were gone.

Ochoa explained that the goal was achieved thanks to a joint effort by the community, both those who sold and those who bought and were involved in the process.

“It's beautiful to see the support from the community, but it's heartbreaking to hear these stories,” Ochoa explained. “At the end of the day, this may not solve their problems, since a family member has been away from them, but these gestures taken do help.”

Eduardo expressed his amazement and gratitude to all the people who participated in the effort to sell the tamales.

“It was a very nice and necessary help,” Eduardo said. “I don't know how they got so many people, but they gave us a lot of orders.”

Meanwhile, Eduardo, his aunt, and other relatives said they're going to wait for the situation to calm down a bit before returning to sell on the streets of San Pedro.

According to the family, Medina signed his deportation order the next day and has been in Tijuana since Friday, October 10, where he will remain to be close to his family.

Although there is no GoFundMe page to directly help Medina's family, Eduardo said people can go to his social media to place orders for tamales while they figure out the best way to support his aunt, who was left alone with her four children.

To buy tamales

To place an order, visit Instagram: @ricotamales or Facebook: Tamales Primo Suarez Gerardo

This article was produced under the California Local News Fellowship at the University of Berkeley.