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.”
“I tell myself I have to let some of that fear go, but it's hard; we’ve seen how they mistreat people when they get them,” she continued.
For the past three weeks, ICE agents, federal police, and unidentified masked men have targeted some of the hardest-working people across Southern California, hitting day labor sites, factories, and abducting random street vendors off the sidewalk.
Endless videos of violent arrests in Los Angeles and Orange County have taken over the social media feeds of Lina and so many others. Streets that were once filled with the vibrant presence of vendors selling fresh fruit dusted with chili powder, late-night tacos, and flowers for any occasion have been deserted and turned dull, impacting vulnerable residents trying to make a living, like Lina.
“I tense up whenever a car with dark windows passes by me or slows down,” the vendor told L.A. TACO. “I just pray and ask God for protection, for me not to be taken away.”
The raspado and elote street vendor, whose name has been changed for her safety, is a resident of Santa Ana and just one of many vendors who have been living in fear over the past few weeks. She is a widow and single mom of two, an 11-year-old and a 9-year-old, who currently reside in Mexico.
When Magaña, the 25-year-old nail tech, approached Lina, she had already gone two weeks without venturing out to sell.
“My kids depend on what I can send them for food, and so they can keep studying,” Lina told L.A. TACO. “So when she approached me, I took it as a blessing because it was such a big help that I really needed in that moment.”
After exchanging information and with Lina's permission, Magaña posted a video on TikTok in hopes of raising as much money as possible to help her neighborhood vendor.
By the next day, she had gathered $300 in donations.
“I called her to let her know and so she wouldn’t go out to work, but by that time, she (Lina) said her elotes were already done cooking, so she had to go out to sell them,” Magaña said. “I feel like God put the words in my mouth to help her, and that’s when I just offered to work her cart that day.”
The vendor was initially stunned, but agreed to let Magaña and her partner take over her cart.
“I’ve always wanted to help people in the community,” said Roa. “And it's a scary job. You hear a lot of stories about vendors getting robbed and a lot of people mistreating them.”
The 24-year-old Santa Ana barber said he wanted to ensure Magaña's safety, given that it was both their first time selling on the street.
“He did most of the work,” Magaña laughed, pointing at her partner. “He pushed the cart and I prepared the snacks; we took turns.”
The couple, equipped with a straw hat, bike horn, and cart full of steamed sweet corn and fruit-flavored syrup, set off on their route. They started around 2 P.M., zigzagging through neighborhoods and ending their shift close to 7 P.M.
“It was tough,” Roa said, when asked about their experience. “My mindset was it's going to be easy, and then you go through it and your feet start hurting, your back starts hurting, and you start to think: This is someone's grandma or grandpa doing this work.’ It's a lot of hard work to make ends meet.”
“I was really tired after being in her shoes for a day,” added Magaña. “I just can't imagine them doing that every single day, I have so much more respect for them than I already had.”
The couple is another example of people consistently supporting their neighbors amidst the fear-inducing raids that have caused so many to retreat into their homes.
We’ve seen it in East Los Angeles, where the adult children of taqueros have taken over their parents' taco stand, and local restaurants and businesses that are adapting by offering deliveries.
Delilah Snell, the owner of Alta Baja on 4th Street in Santana, is similarly helping a beloved neighbor and fruit vendor by allowing him to sell his pre-packaged fruit cups in her business, so he doesn’t have to go out onto the streets.
Like Roa and Magaña, rapid response networks, such as the one operating in Orange County, have initiated fundraisers to help buy out street vendors' merchandise and assist with paying people's bills throughout the county.
Councilmember Jessie Lopez, who oversees Ward 3 in Santa Ana, also joined the Orange County Rapid Response Network team on Wednesday to buy out a flower vendor in the city. She said she has been moved by how the community has united.
“Street vendors are embedded in the culture of Santana, and in a time where we’re clearly seeing street vendors demonized and attacked, our response has been about making sure that they are supported,” Lopez told L.A. TACO. “It’s about showing up for our immigrant communities and families, and standing against this racial violence.”
“Underneath all that sadness and anger, there's a desire for our constituents to get involved, she said.”
Magaña and Roa have since opened a GoFundMe account, where people can donate money to help vendors like Lina. On Wednesday, after working their day jobs, the couple drove around Santa Ana in hopes of finding a vendor to bless or send home with some extra money.
However, as L.A. TACO witnessed while riding in the back seat of their Kia, the streets were a ghost town. Eventually, they stopped at Thornton Park, a public park that usually has more than one vendor making the rounds. But that day, there were no tinkling bells from the ice cream man in sight.
“It’s a good thing and a bad thing because we didn't see any out today, we know they're scared and are probably staying home for their safety,” said Magaña. “But it makes us sad because we don't see our people outside right now because they are living in fear.”
The couple said they hope to continue helping Lina through donations, and if helping her requires taking on another shift, they are willing to do it again. They agreed to share their story solely in hopes of inspiring others to step into the shoes of local street vendors or help those who need it most.
“Help out your local vendors, they're the backbone of our community,” Roa said. “Try your best to either donate money or raise money, it will help them with their rent and food. Treat them how you would like to be treated if you were in that situation.”
For transparency, the couple does show via social media how much money is being donated to said vendors and have asked their followers to help them identify vendors in need.
As for Lina, she is thankful for people like Magaña and Roa, who make her feel like she’s not alone for the first time since the raids began.
“I don't have any family here,” she said. “I’m alone in this country, so it felt good to know that there are still angels out there who are willing to help people.”
