14 August 21 - 27, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Donald Trump’s administration has levied new quotas on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. In Trump’s “200 Days of Winning” report, the administration boasts of “deporting tens of thousands of criminal illegal immigrants,” and that the U.S. is on track to see the lowest mur- der rate on record, drawing a link between two things that aren’t statistically related. Data from the Brennan Center for Justice reports the contrary: “Numerous studies show that immigration is not linked to higher levels of crime, but rather the opposite.” According to ICE data for this year, which is widely contested as unreliable, more than 45,000 immigrant detentions have occurred in the Dallas Area of Respon- sibility (AOR), a geographic area set by the agency that includes North Texas, some of West Texas and all of Okla- homa. ICE also reports there have been 28,904 removals. The follow- ing data point doesn’t add up, though: The same ICE database re- ports that of those removals, about 1,000 have been removed for criminal convictions, 483 have pending charges, and 308 are “other criminal violators.” ICE offers no data about who makes up the other 26,000. Videos of ICE agents raiding businesses or arresting people walking down the street have circulated on social media. We’ve re- ported on how immigrants are justifiably scared to leave their homes right now. According to Tracreports, 71% of current detainees have no criminal convictions. However, deporting criminals was a signifi- cant pillar of Trump’s campaign speeches. Not even Trump supporters are safe, as we learned when a pro-Trump and pro-depor- tation conservative was nabbed by ICE when he tried to renew his residency this past July. Even the owner of Trump Burger in Houston has been arrested and is await- ing deportation. The scope of immigration law is being contorted to meet quotas and campaign promises. Under Pressure B lack Box Intelligence has data relat- ing to these real fears. The Dallas- based company tracks the restaurant industry, and while dining traffic grew in May of 2025, ZIP codes with high Mexican- origin populations underperformed, a trend that started in late 2024. Using data from the U.S. census and its ex- tensive Restaurant Performance Network database, Black Box identified ZIP codes where more than 40% of the population identifies as having Mexican heritage. In those locations, “traffic growth weakened ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election and has yet to recover in line with national trends.” The traffic drops were even more pro- nounced in key landmark weeks, such as election week and inauguration. “We’re seeing an early but measurable shift in how immigration policy is showing up in consumer data,” says chief insights officer at Black Box Intelligence, Victor Fernandez. “In certain communities — especially those that may be more directly affected by immigration policy — restaurant spending appears to be under pressure. And when spending slows in these areas, the industry feels it.” When looking at just a snapshot of data, this tracks across Ojos Locos. We pulled the Texas State Comptroller’s alcohol sales re- ports for just June over the past three years. In June 2023, Ojo’s flagship restaurant near Interstate 35, which had been open for 12 years at that point, cleared almost $440,000 in booze sales, making it one of the top earn- ers in the city. June 2024 compared with June 2025, same-store sales for three Dallas locations (which include two newer stores) are down 15% collectively. The drop could be based on inflation, tighter wallets or the fact that im- migration raids are common in this country now, or, more likely, a mix of all of those things. Yessica Perez is the chief people officer (human resources) at Ojos Locos. When the new administration came into office, she said they knew there would be an effect. “We were flooded with calls,” Perez says. “So we put some ICE protocols in place, just essentially saying these are your employee rights. We’ve had ICE visit our establish- ment for sure — three that come to mind, I think, also a fourth. But we just told the em- ployees and the managers, this is how you respond. If they have a warrant, we have to cooperate. But they can’t come up to you and say, ‘Are you legal or are you not legal?’” When ICE agents arrive at the establish- ment, managers are told to call HR so they can speak to them directly on the phone. “I think right now a lot of [customers] do fear everything that has happening. So it has impacted business a little bit, but I think eventually we’ll get there,” Perez says of a slump in business. Chica Andrea Serrano says she knows her customers have a lot of fear about every- thing that is happening, but that’s why they’re there. “They know this is a house for them, where they feel welcome.” Latina Empowerment W hile also providing a sanctuary for Hispanics, Ojos has become a place for Latina empowerment. Fabiola “Fabi” Estrada was hired in 2010 as a hostess at the flagship Dallas location and quickly climbed through the ranks from chica to bartender and manager before be- coming the company’s first female general manager. When she first applied at Ojos, she had two young children and felt she couldn’t af- ford college. “So I knew I had to find some- thing that would give me the opportunity to grow,” she says. She is now a regional vice president. Guadalupe Cardona was looking for a part-time job while attending college. She started as a chica and then moved to bar- tending. She got laid off during COVID, but Estrada hired her as a manager when the restaurant reopened. She is now the training director and in charge of all the chicas. A big moment for her was when manage- ment sent her to Arizona to open a new store. “And I remember Yessica was coaching me, and I was very nervous,” Cardona says. “But she told me I’d be fine. And I did it on my own. I fell in love with it. I fell in love with talking in front of people, with sharing my experience, especially because I’ve been in every single position.” When COVID hit in 2019, Perez found another job outside the restaurant industry. “I made sure all the protocols were set, I wrote them all, then I left,” Perez says with a lighthearted laugh. She took another job for a while, but quickly came back. “Usually when you go back to something, it’s always for a little higher pay,” Perez says. “But the reason I came back was the people. The people here at Ojos Locos give so much opportunity. We have people who are great students, they’re hungry to learn, they want to learn. And it’s always very different when you’re teaching somebody who wants to learn. They have the hunger, and you have that here with the people.” Perez says they have a 54% internal pro- motion rate and that many new employees who walk through their doors don’t have the skills needed, but that’s not a problem. “Are you hardworking? Do you have grit, or do you have a positive attitude? It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the skills or experi- ence we’re going to teach you,” Perez says. Co-founder Rich Hicks says it’s all by de- sign. “I love female leadership, not only in this space, but I just really have always enjoyed female leadership,” Hicks says. “And it’s par- ticularly important at Ojos because our team is largely female. So the females have a way of leading females.” Case in point: he hired Estrada two weeks before they opened their first restaurant. “And she’s running half of the company now,” Hicks says. He paired that leadership focus with what he saw as an authentic experience for hardworking Hispanics who have effec- tively built the restaurant business. “You would be hard-pressed to walk into a kitchen in Texas and for it not to be primarily Spanish-speaking Hispanics that are driving our food quality,” Hicks says. “That was the inspiration to create a place for them.” Hicks recalls working in a kitchen early in his career. After his shift, he and a Mexi- can co-worker would have a few beers in the back of the kitchen. “We didn’t have a place to go. And so that was the inspiration to create a place for them where they would walk in and really feel like it was home. It was an authentic, genuine place for them,” Hicks says. Goals A nd now, he’s mapping out the next big thing to hit the Hispanic com- munity in North Texas: The 2026 World Cup. “The 2010 World Cup was the magic point that we looked at each other and said, ‘We have a really underserved consumer.’ (...) And that’s when it all started,” Hicks says. Customers — not just males, but entire families — pack into Ojos Locos for big soccer games. Every TV (which there are many) is tuned into soccer with the sound up. Hicks says they have committees prepar- ing for the World Cup experiences. He wants Ojos to be where people want to go and watch their team on the field. Sure, the Cow- boys and Rangers get TV time as well, but Hicks recognizes Hispanics live for soccer. “It’s culture. They were born playing soc- cer,” he says. But Hicks is also seeing the stress that the Hispanic communities are facing now. They’re seeing pressure in pockets, but not across the whole system. He adds that there is pressure on inflation and pressure from the current administration. “It has been felt, but at different levels in different markets,” he says, but he also says he hasn’t been able to draw any real links. “But that goes back to the experience,” he says. “That’s what we do when people come in. We want to greet them with a big smile and welcome them in. ... That’s all we can do.” At a turning point in our culture with immigration policy, that might be all any- one can do. When the Trump Burger guy isn’t safe, who is? For now, Ojos Locos will provide that hospitality for Hispanics who may otherwise feel out of place in their own communities. Perhaps the kindest thing you can offer someone is a cold beer and a bar stool where they feel welcome. Kathy Tran Server Katia George talks with a guest. City of Ate from p13
