MIAMI – Over the first two weeks of 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has significantly expanded enforcement operations, including, as they note, a return to large-scale workplace raids, reflecting a major policy shift outlined in official communications from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Among the businesses disproportionately targeted are botánicas, which serve the needs of minority religious communities.
Beginning Tuesday, January 13, The Wild Hunt began receiving reports that ICE activity was occurring at or near botánicas, spiritual supply stores serving practitioners of African Diaspora religions such as Lukumí, Ifá, Vodoun, and Palo. These shops, many of them small and Latino-owned, sell religious, spiritual, and traditional medicinal items. Botánicas often serve functions beyond commerce; they are sites of counseling, empowerment, spiritual protection, and community care, particularly during times of upheaval.
Editorial Note: We removed pictures of storefronts for safety.
Photo Credit: MJTM
There is widespread fear within undocumented communities, and all sources cited here requested anonymity. That fear was consistent across interviews and extended beyond undocumented individuals to include documented immigrants and even U.S. citizens, many of whom were reluctant to provide personal details out of concern for their blood relatives and chosen spiritual families. This atmosphere of fear shapes both what can be reported and how it must be handled.
Under the current administration, ICE has moved away from the more limited, targeted enforcement of recent years toward mass worksite enforcement, bolstered by a rapid expansion of its workforce. Although ICE characterizes these actions as neutral law enforcement, field reports from cities such as Los Angeles, Austin, Miami, and Portland indicate a disproportionate impact on Latino communities. Many Latino-owned businesses report revenue declines of 30% to 50% since the surge began in June 2025, a downturn widely attributed to a chilling effect that deters even legal residents and citizens from frequenting Latino-heavy areas. Advocacy groups further report a dramatic increase — over 2,000% — in “collateral arrests” of individuals with no criminal record, prompting local responses in places such as Austin and New York, where officials have reiterated that local police will not participate in federal immigration enforcement and have urged residents to know their rights.
Reports intensified following protests sparked by the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old American citizen and mother of three, who was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. The administration’s failure to investigate her killing further fueled vigils, rallies, and demonstrations focused on immigrant rights and opposition to federal enforcement actions. Against this backdrop, Latino-owned businesses that are already strained reported heightened fear and disruption linked to ICE activity.
Photo Credit: MJTM
On Friday and Saturday, The Wild Hunt received additional reports suggesting a potential pattern: ICE vehicles and officers were observed at or near botánicas in California, Illinois, Florida, and New Jersey. Some of the reports were later retracted by individuals misinterpreting events and some uniformed officers as ICE, but others were later confirmed in our research.
No raids were reported. Instead, witnesses described government vehicles parked nearby or agents present in adjacent streets or parking lots. Due to fear, most observers made brief observations and left quickly. Early reports noted ICE presence along Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles, where enforcement actions were reportedly occurring in the surrounding area. Several botánicas confirmed ICE presence nearby but declined further comment. Community resistance in Los Angeles — already heightened since mid-2025 — has included demonstrations, street blockades, monitoring of agents, and both peaceful and confrontational actions in response to escalating enforcement.
In Chicago, ICE activity was reported near Humboldt Park and Elmwood Park, largely documented through social media accounts. ICE was also observed in Eatontown and North Brunswick Township, New Jersey.
In Florida, ICE activity was reported in Tampa near Ybor City, in Orlando north of the Kissimmee area, and throughout Miami and into Fort Lauderdale. Botánicas in Tampa confirmed ICE presence in the vicinity but stated that agents neither entered their stores nor used their parking areas as staging grounds. In South Florida, botánica staff again declined to speak on the record. Employees confirmed ICE vehicles nearby, and one noted agents patrolling a predominantly Haitian neighborhood on foot while wearing vests and masks. In northeast Miami, one botánica reported that ICE agents detained a vehicle outside the store, and at least one individual appeared to have been arrested.
The Department of Homeland Security rescinded its 2021 “Protected Areas” guidance in January 2025, replacing it with a discretionary, case-by-case approach described by the agency as “common sense.” As a result, ICE no longer operates under a categorical policy that broadly shields religious establishments from enforcement actions. While DHS has stated that agents may still exercise discretion to avoid interference with religious exercise, pastoral care, or community services, these considerations are no longer governed by a standing, enforceable policy and instead depend on situational judgment.
Within this framework, botánicas are typically classified as retail establishments rather than a religious resource, and it remains unclear whether religious spaces such as an ilé or ounfò would receive the same discretionary consideration as a church, synagogue, or mosque. When a property is used primarily for commercial or residential purposes, ICE may argue that no special consideration applies at all.
Clergy and congregations cannot legally block ICE access, though agents must still present a judicial warrant to enter non-public areas, and faith leaders may ask whether an enforcement action is being carried out under any remaining discretionary guidance. In practice, the absence of a formal protected-areas policy means that any special consideration afforded to religious spaces is no longer guaranteed and may vary widely based on interpretation and enforcement priorities.
Flag of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. [Public Domain
ICE has repeatedly claimed that its activities are intended to safeguard the public. In a November 2025 press release, ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan described a 10-day operation in Miami that resulted in 230 arrests, writing that it sent “an unmistakable message: Criminal aliens who threaten our citizens and violate our laws will be removed and prevented from committing further heinous crimes.”
Nevertheless, community members and practitioners point to the broader consequences of ICE interactions, particularly in the wake of Renee Good’s killing. On January 14, 2026, Victor Manuel Díaz, a Nicaraguan national, died in ICE custody. His death is listed among the agency’s Detainee Death Notifications, further intensifying fear, grief, and distrust within already vulnerable communities.
In Hialeah, one shop owner said in Spanish, “It’s more than fear. It’s terror.”
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