By Jeniffer Solis, Nevada Current
This piece was originally published in the Nevada Current.
(Photo: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current)
The closure of Broadacres Marketplace in June was so abrupt Guadalupe Media didn’t have time to repair an electrical outage at her booth before she was told to pack up and leave for an undetermined amount of time.
When the market finally reopened Friday after a six-week closure, Media raced to borrow an extension cord and hook up to a neighboring vendor’s power outlet before sunset. After more than a month of lost income, she couldn’t afford to lose another day.
“I’m not someone who gives up,” Media said in her native Spanish.
The sprawling open-air market in North Las Vegas officially reopened to the public Friday evening after abruptly shutting down on June 21 — a week after Border Patrol agents carried out a raid at a swap meet in Southern California run by the same company that owns Broadacres Marketplace, Newport Diversified Inc.
Videos of the immigration sweep at the California swap meet were quickly posted on social media where vendors, customers and staff in Las Vegas watched with mounting concern.
Some vendors stopped showing up amid fears that Broadacres could be next. Vendors who did continue operations said foot traffic and sales cratered as customers stayed home. The weekend before the market’s closure, Media said she only made $37 in sales — a fraction of what she typically makes selling jewelry and accessories.
“A lot of people stopped coming. Sales dropped really bad. Everyone was scared, they’re still scared,” Media said.
Those same concerns led the owners of Broadacres Marketplace to temporarily shut down “out of an abundance of caution” for its vendors, customers, and staff — many of whom are immigrants or second-generation U.S. citizens with family members who are immigrants.
“We don’t want any of our customers, vendors, or employees to be detained at our business,” the Broadacres Marketplace management team wrote on social media at the time.
Despite claims by the Trump administration that its primary concern is detaining and deporting violent criminals, about 40% of people arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the last six months did not have criminal charges or convictions, according to data compiled by UC Berkeley School of Law’s Deportation Data Project.
Broadacres Marketplace is the largest open-air market in Nevada and one of the top private employers in North Las Vegas, but empty stalls on Friday underscored how immigrant-owned businesses have suffered sharp losses under the immigration crackdown.
Returning vendors were met with digital signs on Friday displaying information from legal aid groups, a clear indication of how much things have changed.
During the market’s closure, management said they partnered with legal experts and community advocates to develop a “vendor alert protocol” that will provide real-time updates on law enforcement activity in the area “within legal guidelines.”
“We’re reopening because our vendors are ready — and they deserve a marketplace that has their back,” said management in a statement on their website.
Educational materials will be available throughout the market to help vendors and customers better understand their legal rights, said management.
Vendors and customers who want more direction on how to handle encounters with law enforcement at the market can also take “Know Your Rights” training offered by the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada in partnership with Broadacres Marketplace.
Agustin Ramirez has been selling fruits and vegetables at his Broadacres stand since 1994 — his most popular item are coconuts which are husked and served with lime and chili. But even sales for his signature product are slow with more customers staying away this summer.
As his sole source of income, the loss of customers at the stand is a big concern for Ramirez, but he’s optimistic he and his employees can weather the storm until the community feels safe enough to return.
One sign of recovery was the steady stream of customers filing into the market as soon as it opened Friday evening, who were either pulled in by their loyalty to vendors they’ve frequented for years or by a discounted $2 entry fee. (Tickets are normally $3 on Fridays, $2.50 on Saturdays and $3.50 on Sundays.)
“With fear or without fear we have to keep living, we can’t shut ourselves inside for the rest of our lives,” Ramirez said in his native Spanish.
During the six week closure, Ramirez said he worked on preparing his undocumented employees with an exit plan in the event Broadacres is targeted by immigration officers.
“We already have plans,” Ramirez said. “Whatever happens, they know where to go, where to run.”
Beyond the market’s role as an economic hub for immigrants, it has also created a sense of community for vendors and customers through the decades.
Before Media and her husband started their business at Broadacres four years ago they were customers for more than a decade. She remembers walking through the lines of vendors with her children, who now help run the business as adults.Generations of families have memories of letting their children ride a pony at one of the oldest businesses in Broadacres Marketplace, a round plot of ground surrounded by asphalt — and more often than not — eager children.
Francisco Andredes, who grew up in rural Mexico, bought the business from the previous owner 14 years ago after his own children became frequent customers. It’s another example of how embedded the market has become in the Las Vegas immigrant community.
When Maribel Sanchez started her clothing business at Broadacres 25 years ago the market was much smaller than it is now. Its growth over the years shows the strength of the immigrant community, she said.
The market must now recover under difficult circumstances, as the ongoing immigration raids at job sites that drove Broadacres managers to shut down in June show no sign of abating.
Broadacres heavily publicized the market’s reopening and its new protocols meant to reassure vendors and customers, which Sanchez hopes will help increase business. Under a best case scenario, the market’s closure and then reopening will attract customers whos haven’t been in years, or new customers finding out about the market for the first time.
“It’s like being in Mexico, it’s a beautiful place. I hope people will come,” Sanchez said.
