Santa Ana couple Marisol Magaña and Andrew Roa are going viral for helping their neighborhood street vendor after taking over a shift at her elote, raspado, and snack cart.
Last weekend, Magaña said they stopped Lina, the local vendor, as she was visiting her parents' house. They wanted to support her, so after missing her the first time she passed by, they caught up with her and bought esquites (corn in a cup) and other snacks.
It was here that Magaña and Roa, both of whom come from a background of immigrant grandparents and parents, learned how much the vendor had been struggling since federal police began their raids in the city.
“That’s when she told us she hadn't gone out all week because she was scared about the ICE raids,” recalled Magaña. “But she said she had to go out on Sunday because rent was due.”
The day they spoke, the vendor from Puebla disclosed that she had to throw away most of her product the day before because she hadn't sold enough. On top of that, she had only made half of the usual amount of product that she typically makes for a day of work.
“The situation is bad,” said the vendor in Spanish. “That day I went out, I was scared. To think that those bounty hunters they talk about on the news might get me unexpectedly. I don’t know what I would do.”