It seems that the massive Border Patrol enforcement blitz sweeping through Chicago isn’t enough to deter street vendors Ofelia Herrera and Rafael Hernandez, who are sticking to their routine despite the chaos. The couple, who are in the United States illegally, refused to alter their work schedule after the Border Patrol executed a raid on a recent Saturday morning in Chicago’s bustling Little Village neighborhood.
You’d think that sirens blaring and Chicago police responding to Border Patrol calls for assistance would be enough to keep people indoors. However, Herrera, 47, waited for the agents to move a few blocks away before she opened their stand, which serves up delicious Mexican-style corn on the cob and refreshing “aguas frescas.” This is what they’ve done for 18 years, and they aren’t stopping now, even though the immigration crackdown known as “Operation Midway Blitz” began back in early September.
This widespread enforcement effort has gripped Chicago’s immigrant communities with fear. Many residents without legal status are staying home, and the couple’s friends haven’t ventured outside in over two months. It’s gotten so bad that even some U.S. citizens of Latino heritage are afraid to leave their houses, according to AP News.
ICE is becoming more like the Gestapo with each passing week
For Herrera and Hernandez, 44, stopping isn’t an option. They believe that working isn’t just about paying the bills; it’s about mental health. “The only thing you can do is have faith in God and not be afraid,” Herrera said in an interview. She believes that fear is an enemy in itself. “Fear gives way to depression and other things. At the end of the day, they don’t deport you to Mexico but you are sick with depression and other things because you didn’t have faith in God.”
“ICE has detained over 170 U.S citizens during recent raids in Chicago where anyone that’s brown is snatched up without being asked for their identification! They’re stomped,kicked & beaten to where they need hospitalization while being told by ICE you have no rights here! “
— Herbert Whitehouse (@DoubleWhitehous) November 15, 2025
Hernandez agrees with his wife’s powerful sentiment. “We know people who have fallen into depression,” he stated. “They don’t leave the house. It’s very sad.”
Unfortunately, the couple’s defiance hasn’t protected their bottom line. Herrera reported that their sales have plunged a staggering 75% since “Operation Midway Blitz” started. The couple’s phones constantly alert them to warnings about where immigration officers are making arrests. They’ve heard stories of heavily armed agents arresting other vendors, including those selling eggs and tamales. They even described the sting of tear gas unleashed on demonstrators at a shopping center parking lot last month.
While President Trump’s administration has vowed that it is pursuing “the worst of the worst,” the data tells a different story. More than 70% of people in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody during the 12-month period through September were not convicted of a crime in the U.S. It appears authorities are arresting “everyone,” Hernandez noted.
Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino, a frequent presence in Little Village, confirmed that vendors are indeed targets. He led the enforcement blitzes in Chicago and Los Angeles, and he’s now moved operations to Charlotte, North Carolina. Bovino stated that street vendors are subject to arrest because they are “undercutting American businesses.” That justification is awful for immigrant entrepreneurs who are just trying to feed their families.
Herrera and Hernandez have built a life in Chicago. They met while working at a Mexican restaurant in Little Village after crossing the Arizona desert separately in 2004 and 2005. They paid smugglers thousands of dollars for the days-long treks. They eventually bought a house in Englewood in 2017. They have two U.S.-born children, though their 16-year-old daughter fears prolonged detention for her parents even more than deportation.
