Financial surveillance threatens California border businesses

San Jose Latino businesses say ICE reports scaring customers - San José Spotlight

Immigrant-owned businesses in East San Jose have suffered huge losses in revenue and foot traffic since reports of federal ICE officers went viral earlier this year. Fear swept through the undocumented immigrant community in San Jose after the Target store on Story Road became the location of an isolated Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in January. While no publicly-known immigration operation has happened in the area since, East Sa…

Financial surveillance threatens California border businesses

Many people do business in cash. They pay rent, go shopping, or wire money to relatives without government surveillance. But now, under a new federal directive targeting neighborhoods near the Southern Border, different rules apply. Esperanza Gomez owns Novedades y Servicios, a small storefront offering entirely legal and legitimate money services to people who use cash. Normally, anytime a customer wants to do anything over $10,000—like cash a …