Produce market in downtown LA sits empty after ICE immigration raids across SoCal

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The produce market in downtown Los Angeles has become another casualty of the ICE raids happening across Southern California, with employees not showing up and customers staying away out of fear of being detained.

Rotting fruit and vegetables scattered throughout the market were seen on Tuesday in what would otherwise be a bustling scene. Store after store closed for now, each with plenty to sell but no one to buy.

The immigrant community usually fills the L.A. produce market but since ICE agents arrived in downtown, the market has been empty, with only a trickle of workers showing up.

"People are ordering their groceries through online apps like Instacart. People would purchase groceries and bring them to their home," said market sales clerk Ryan Ponce.

Business owners in the market are bleeding money, watching their potential profits rot. They say profits have flatlined.

"It's dropped a good 50% from what it is normally here," Ponce said.

"Obviously people are scared, so therefore... people aren't coming into the market to purchase to go out and sell, and people aren't coming in to sell either, so it's, all the way around it's going to affect business," said market employee Milo Lopez.

This marketplace sells produce not only to people but also to grocery stores and restaurants.

"I feel like a lot of businesses, if it continues like this, we'll probably see a lot of businesses shut down... a lot of restaurants they're going to close," said Ponce.

People at the marketplace warn that if the ICE raids continue, be ready for even bigger sticker shock when you go grocery shopping.

"If you want to deport everybody, the cost of products is going to go up," Lopez said.

The few workers brave enough to show up at the produce market say ICE has not raided the place, but it's the fear of a raid that is keeping people away and hurting businesses.