On a busy stretch of North Tryon Street, cars speed past a small strip mall dominated by Latino-owned small businesses, including a taqueria, a bakery and a Mexican grocery store. But inside one of its storefronts, a laundromat, it’s quiet.
Blanca Barbosa has worked at the laundromat for about seven years. She remembers when it was once full of families, music and conversation.
“It was always a very prosperous place. We always had a lot of customers," Barbosa said. "Since the arrests started and all this talk of ICE, it's dropped significantly.”
ICE conducted a larger-scale sweep in Charlotte in May. Agents detained a man in a car half a mile away from the laundromat. Since then, Barbosa says people are scared to come out, even for laundry.
“A person who used to come to wash their clothes two or three times a week now comes once a week," Barbosa said. "And they always ask the question, ‘Has ICE been through here?’”
David Rebolloso owns the laundromat. He opened a second location in March down the road, just before the crackdown on immigrants intensified.
“I told my wife, 'You know what, we’re going to go all in,'" Rebolloso said. "I feel so optimistic, so good about providing services. I know the community is going to support us. But the traffic has not materialized.”
Rebolloso grew up as a migrant farmworker and later joined the U.S. Air Force. He says immigrants, documented or not, have always contributed to the country’s economy.
“We are all immigrants, and we all try to figure out a way to make it work,” Rebolloso said. "Laundry does not discriminate. Laundry touches everybody. So how can I help if I don't have the foot traffic? How can I generate funds if I don't have the foot traffic?”
He says he needs at least $40,000 a month to cover rent, utilities and loans at his new location. Right now, he’s not even making half that.
Leidy Ladino works at the second location, but has been with Rebolloso for four years. She says people have stopped showing up.
“People haven't been going out much," Ladino said. "If before they washed twice a week, now it might be once every two weeks, to be safe. They try to do it super fast, at a time when there isn't so much foot traffic.”
Ladino says she shows up and does what she can to stay busy, but it’s hard not to notice how empty the place feels and wonder how long the business can keep going before resorting to drastic measures.
“Sometimes it does feel a little like, 'Oh my God, where are the people? How do we bring them in? Why aren’t they coming?'” Ladino said.
Rebolloso said the fear of immigration policies from the Trump administration threatens more than just his laundromats.
“Discrimination does not mesh with a healthy economy," Rebolloso said. "We're going to realize that if we're not realizing that now, we're going to realize that later.”
For Rebolloso, this isn’t just business. As a son of immigrants, it’s personal.
“I feel a responsibility to speak up," Rebolloso said. "To show the contributions that we have all made, that we all contribute, we are all part of making America great again.”
