Fear and anxiety continue as businesses and restaurants slowly reopen amid LA immigration raids

EL SERENO, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Businesses across Southern California are feeling the effects of the recent immigration raids.

Some restaurants were forced to close their doors, but fortunately for them, their communities have been helping them get back on track.

"It was a very scary time ... it still is," said Cali Crizp restaurant owner Nancy Arroyo during Wednesday's El Sereno Night Market, which was impacted by the raids. "We want everyone to be safe. It just hurts because our community is hurting. They're scared. We're scared."

Arroyo told Eyewitness News there's still plenty of concerns going around. When the raids began in early June, the El Sereno Night Market shut down for three weeks.

"It's hard because this is our only income, for source income, and we've been here for long," said Arroyo. "We've built a clientele, and it impacted us very, very bad. Economically, really bad."

Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted that economic impact during a press conference in Downey on Wednesday.

"You could lose your house because you've got a lot of credit on your house against your business," he noted. "You could lose everything ... your dreams, your family."

He criticized both the raids and the deployment of the National Guard, saying "hundreds of millions of dollars" were wasted.

As the National Guard is released back to state control, returning to "business as usual" isn't as easy for local vendors who still have customers afraid to come out. But in El Sereno, the community came out and tried to fill the gaps.

"From far and wide, we've had donations from New York, and we were able to pay their rents, pay their car insurance, their car payments, food, and just basic necessities that were needed during that time," said El Sereno Night Market President Vanessa Gutierrez.

A huge help for each small business owner, and welcome relief at a time of continued uncertainty and anxiety.