The community along El Corredor Salvadoreño in fear due to constant raids

The community of El Corredor Salvadoreño feels terrorized after another immigration raid was reported on Thursday afternoon in the corner of Pico Blvd. and Vermont Avenue.  

Witnesses said immigration officers took at least one man.

One of the vendors, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was getting off the bus when she saw the unmarked vehicle in the parking lot of Guicho’s Bakery. She saw when the officers dragged the man, who she happens to know, while he screamed for help.

“He’s a Guatemalan man, well known here…He has a one-month-old baby,” the 56-year-old vendor said in Spanish. 

She said vendors and customers live in fear because they don’t know when immigration is going to return.  

“I have been selling only $30 or $50 a day. On Saturday, I only sold two pupusas,” she said. 

Another vendor, whose partner was detained about two weeks ago in the previous raid at El Corredor Salvadoreno, said she hasn’t been able to go back and sell as before out of fear. 

However, bills are piling up and she said she doesn’t have money to pay for her rent now with these unexpected expenses without her partner, who is detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. 

“I don’t know what we are going to do,” she said.

CALÓ News contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to confirm the number of detainees, but hasn’t received a response yet. 

Alternative options

Raul Claros, co-founder and interim executive director of El Salvador Corridor Association, said he has seen the frustration and desperation of dozens of vendors whose jobs are at risk.

Claros said the association recently sent a letter to the General Consulate of El Salvador highlighting the importance of the representation of Salvadorans in Los Angeles. 

“Our corridor represents decades of resilience, entrepreneurship and Salvadoran pride,” states the letter. “The treatment our people are receiving is unacceptable and requires immediate intervention from leaders who understand the value and humanity of this community.” 

With this letter, the association expects to get the attention of El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, who received significant support from them to lead the country. 

The letter adds that the Salvadoran Corridor Association is prepared to share evidence, testimonies and any necessary documentation. 

A second letter from the association was sent to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass requesting the use of a city-owned lot at the corner of 12th Street and Vermont Avenue that has been sitting empty for about two decades.  

“We respectfully request that the City of Los Angeles partner with the Salvadoran Corridor Association to lease this lot, allowing us to transform it into a regulated, organized and community-centered space for vendors and small businesses,” states the letter addressed to Bass.

Claros said this would be an excellent opportunity for the vendors to have a safe space where they can have their private security, with a wash space where they can wash their hands and fruits, and include a commissary like a central kitchen to avoid cooking on the street. 

“So we would not only protect the vendors, but we would make sure that everything is up to code and it makes it safe and healthy for the customers,” said Claros. 

The reactions

The office of L.A. City Councilmember Eunises Hernandez, who represents the El Corredor Salvadoreno area, said they were informed about the raid. 

“Our CD1 Block Teams were on the scene, and we were in close communication with organizers on the ground throughout the raid,” said Naomi Roochnik, communications deputy with CD1. “We also deployed staff to join patrols in the area, and we sent a mass text alert to neighbors in the immediate vicinity to make sure folks had timely information and knew how to reach us for support.”

The councilwoman is also supporting the RepresentLA Program – a public-private partnership between the City, the Los Angeles County, the California Community Foundation (CCF), and the Weingart Foundation – to provide free legal representation for immigrants facing deportation or seeking affirmative immigration relief. 

The City is in the process of including $1 million for the program, while the county has allocated $5.5 million in 2025-26. The CCF and the Weingart Foundation each contributed $1 million at the launch of the program. 

It is yet to be discussed how the money will be distributed and what will be the process for applicants. 

People in CD1 who need help with food and/or rent can  contact her office at (213) 473-7001.