A Southern California teenager stepped in and took over his family's tamale cart amid his parents' fears of being targeted by the government's ongoing immigration raids.
The tamale vendor in question is from Pasadena and has not been identified because of her immigration status. She said that she now fears for her life after agents with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested some of her clients one afternoon.
Teenager Helps With Parents' Business Amid Immigration Raids
The mother, speaking in Spanish, said that her client ran and she was left paralyzed, but she did not rush to her car or do anything. She said she just froze and did not know what to do, but started crying and called her kids, telling them she could be arrested too, according to Yahoo News.
Now, the family is left with only one option: to rely on their 14-year-old son, Chris, to help with their business. One resident, Alex Murillo, said that kids should not be forced to work Monday through Sunday and wake up at 5:30 in the morning to sell food because of the immigration raids.
Murillo, who is known across the local community as "Tio Joker," said he saw the teenager selling tamales from his family's cart and knew that he had to help the hardworking youth. He then posted about Chris' situation on Instagram, and shortly after, the community stood together to assist.
Rosie Lopez works in Pasadena and became one of the people who supported the teenager amid his family's difficult situation. Other supporters said that they appreciate the youth's dedication but argued that he should be given a chance to be a kid again.
Ongoing Immigration Crackdown
Murillo added that now that it's summertime, kids like Chris should be spending their free time at amusement parks, playing sports, or enjoying other activities. He added that he plans to sell tamales side-by-side with the teenager on July 4, 2025, ABC7 reported.
Chris's family is struggling due to the ongoing immigration raids ordered by the Trump administration. The Republican leader has committed to a significant crackdown on immigration across the United States.
Several cities in Southern California have already been forced to cancel Fourth of July celebrations due to fears that ICE will conduct raids at the gatherings. Some examples include events at Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Cudahy, Bell Gardens, and Whittier.
The situation comes as there are roughly 2,000 immigrants in the Los Angeles area alone who were arrested since the start of June. The immigration raids also resulted in a series of protests, which drew a heavy law enforcement response, according to HuffPost.
