This article was co-published with La Opinión, the leading Spanish-language news outlet in the U.S., and produced under the California Local News Fellowship program at the University of Berkeley.
José Medina, a 35-year-old father of four, had just started selling tamales at 8 a.m. at a 7-Eleven on First and Gaffey Street in San Pedro when immigration authorities arrested him.
Security cameras and a pedestrian recorded the moment when three agents handcuffed Medina, who was wearing a red hat, and put him in a silver truck. At the same time, another agent was seen pushing Medina’s tamal cart to the side.
“Because the phone number was on the shopping cart, the same people from the 7-Eleven called my aunt to let her know they had taken my uncle,” said Eduardo, Medina’s nephew, who also sells tamales.
Medina's family consists of eight members who sell tamales throughout San Pedro. Each has their own business, and their sales support their families.
"The situation is terrible," Eduardo said in Spanish. "We're scared because we’re all outside, having to look around us, and we’re all anxious."
That Wednesday, Oct. 8, in addition to finding out where their uncle was, they also had to figure out what to do with the 60 dozen tamales they had left since the family decided to stay home, fearing more raids.
Eduardo and his family had already posted on social media that they wouldn't be able to go out and sell tamales due to what had happened. As a result, they offered pick-up orders as an attempt to sell their daily inventory.
That’s when artist Rubén Ochoa and his girlfriend Cam La came into the picture. When they learned that Eduardo's uncle had been detained by immigration, they immediately felt the need to do something to support the families.
Ochoa is an art designer who often collaborates with Revolution Carts, an organization that creates health department-approved carts for vendors. Through his work, he has designed art for vendors' carts and has stayed in touch with many of them.
“When I spoke with Eduardo, I learned that his uncle was detained,” Ochoa explained. “He told me that the whole family was at home and that, out of fear, they weren't going out to sell that day.”
It was at this point that Ochoa and his girlfriend, Cam La, began calling all their contacts to try to sell the 720 tamales that the families had prepared for the day.
Ochoa’s partner connected to Broadway Elementary’s "ICE Alert" WhatsApp group to inform parents about the situation. As soon as orders started coming in, Ochoa headed to San Pedro to pick up the tamales and personally deliver them to several cities, including Inglewood, West Los Angeles, Culver City, Venice, and Westwood. He drove around all evening finishing some of the deliveries till midnight.
Janny Kum of Venice was among those who ordered a dozen tamales and paid $100 for them. The resident was upset and saddened by what happened to the tamal vendor.
“These people aren't criminals. They're hardworking people who hope to provide a better life for their children, just like my parents did when we came to the United States 40 years ago,” Kum said. "In the Broadway community, there are families with big hearts. It's important that we all help out in any way we can because that's what makes us human.”
By the end of Wednesday, 27 dozen tamales had already been sold by Ochoa, who thanks parents from the school's Spanish and Mandarin immersion program for buying tamales. And back in San Pedro Eduardo said that several community members bought out the rest of the tamales, and all 720 tamales were gone.
“It's beautiful to see the community's support, but it's heartbreaking to hear these stories,” Ochoa explained. “At the end of the day, this may not solve their problems, since a family member has been taken away from them, but these gestures do help.”
Eduardo expressed his amazement and gratitude to all the people who participated in the effort to sell the tamales.
"It was a very nice gesture and necessary help," Eduardo said in Spanish. "I don't know how we were able to get so many people, but they gave us a lot of orders."
Meanwhile, Eduardo, his aunt, and other relatives said they will wait for the situation to calm down a bit before returning to selling on the streets of San Pedro.
According to the family, Medina signed his deportation order the following day and has been in Tijuana since Friday, Oct. 10, where he will remain to be close to his family.
Although there is no GoFundMe page currently available to help Medina's family directly, Eduardo said they want to earn their money. People can visit their social media pages to order tamales while they look for the best way to support their aunt, who was left alone with her four children.
To buy tamales
To place an order, visit Instagram: @ricotamales or Facebook: Tamales Primo Suarez Gerardo
